By: Larry Narron
_____Somehow, you pass the ball
___________to the other school’s mascot.
_____For years, the rumor
________________has been the Bandito
________________costume
___________contains
________________a leper
___________who failed
________________out of Oceanside
__________________________High
_____________________after stabbing
_______________________________a Vista
_____________________Homeboy
________________in the knee
_____________________with a screwdriver.
_____Now,
_____from the eye-
___________level row
________________of bleachers,
__________________________a mom from immaculate
_____Torrey Pines
__________________________calls
________________you a failure
__________________________from filthy
_______________________________Escondido.
_____When your eyes lock with hers,
__________your souls are two ships
_______________________________colliding
_____________________in daylight.
_____________________You fail
_______________________________to see
_______________________________what you mean.
________________You mean,
_____________________when you pass off somebody
________________else’s words
__________________________as their own,
________________what we have
_____________________here is a failure
_______________________________to communicate
_________________________________________by echo,
_______________________________to exchange
____________________________________numbers
____________________________________by
____________________________________telepathy, to make
_____________________a transaction
_____________________of bodily fluids
_________________by screen. How
_________________did you ever
___________________________manage to fail
__________________________________________Sex
_______Ed.? Whatever you do,
___________________________do you,
________________________________but don’t let
________________________the millennia pass
______________________________________you by.
______________Don’t let last summer
______________pass the starting
______________________________line. Failure
_______________________________________to comply with
___________________these prayers
_____________________________will result in blood-
__________________________________shed.
_____________________________How
_____________________________could you
______________________________________________forget
__________________________________to memorize
_______________________________________misery?
_________________________The pass- word
________________________________________you’ll need
_______________________________to access
_________________________your memory
_______________________________banking account on-
_______________________________line
_____________________________________is fail-
_____________________safe. Thank you
_______________________________for calling. If
_________________________________________you know
_________________________your party’s extension,
_________________________________________please
_________________________________________remain
____________________________________on anti-
_________________________depressants, or
_________________________________________press 1
___________________________________________to make more
_________________________________________mistakes.
________________________________Press 2
_____________________if what you’re feeling
_______________________________surpasses
_____________the frustrating limits
__________________________________of your tongue-
____________________________________________tied shadow’s
________________________________________________vocab.
________Didn’t you catch your shadow red-
____________________________handed, arm
_______________________wrestling
__________________________________the wind without
____________________________you?
______________Press 3 if you saw it collapse
______________________________on Denise during morning
________________________assembly.
_____________________________Didn’t you
____________________see the no trespassing sign
________________________________________on her skin?
___________________________________Your eyes
are beginning to fail. Where
_________________________do you think
_____________________your shadow
______________________________is going
_____________________________________________without
a hall pass?
__________Press 4
__________if your young flame failed
_____________________________to burn
_________________________down
_____the school
__________after Winter
___________________________________Formal.
________________________________________Press
______________________________5 if you knew you
___________________________________were born
___________________________________to fail
___________________when your old
_____man passed. Press
_______________6 if each night
_____the principal
___________passes
____________________through your mind
without fail. Press
_____7
___________if you always puff, puff, pass
up opportunity.
_______________________________Press 8 if failure
____________________________________is the mother
_________________of failure. Press 9 to pass
it on.
Blabber-
___________mouth, please don’t
__________________________fail me now.
_________________Press 10 if you
____________________________think you can pass for invisible
__________________________when the spectrum of all light
_________________fails.
_______Press 11 if you’ve just discovered the drugs
____________________________________your aunt takes for cancer
_________________just make her see
_______________________________the Google logo
___________haloing over her
_______________________________head instead of snickering
_______________________________________________spiders
________________________________________babies
_______________________________crickets.
_________________Press 12 to return to the dream
______________________________________in which the principal
__________________________________________passes
_____________out drunk at the club, snores so loud
_______in your lap in the V IP
______________________lounge.
___________________________________To speak
________________________________________>to the ghost
of your brother, wash
____________________down this bottle
____________________of pills
_______________________________with this bottle
_______________________________of gin.
__________________________Thank you for
_________________your despair. We value
______________________your
_________________________________confusion. One
_______moment
_______please.
_______Gently, splash
____________gin
_______in the principal’s face to wake her.
_______________________She fails to recall what she’d said.
_______________________You fail to wake up in time
_______for dinner.
_______Mom, you should
_____________________say
________________when you finally
_________________________________sit down
_______________________at the dining room table,
______________would you please
________________________pass
___________________the desirable
genetic traits?
_____Thank you
________________________________________for calling.
Larry Narron was born and raised in San Diego’s North County. His poems have appeared in Bayou, Phoebe, Hobart, Booth, Santa Clara Review, and elsewhere. They’ve been nominated for Best of the Net and Best New Poets. Larry’s nonfiction has also appeared in The Coachella Review. A graduate of UC Berkeley and Pacific University’s low-residency MFA program, he currently studies literacy at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School
of Education.