my brother and I contemplate
how to pronounce
read receipts
after an explanation about how his girlfriend
turned them on so
he turned them on
but he wasn’t sure if
he should turn them on
so he used his confusion as a conversation starter
with me to discuss turning them on and
while I move my lips in lecture
any trained therapist could see me
externally ponder
what sun you are under
what life you breathe out
and what hearing your voice
and “that is a thing”
would make me feel–
even now in the abstract–
and what volition lies
within your reply

DELIVERED