his teeth, the few he has,
(remarkable in a man so young)
are dark and scraggly,
as though raced by a dry wood fire,
the lip with a tight curl
he'd wait on me at the deli, always helpful, friendly,
telling me to have a nice day
so when i saw him at the pool, i said hello, asked how he was
fine he said, and very happy,
because his little girl, who "has a cleft palate, just like mine"
had surgery and was doing fine
i took a second so he wouldn't see,
then swallowed the bitter taste of me,
burnt with joy, unrivalry