the last family camp out    I was 12    chubby
tall  bad skin    mother got slapped   right
in front of us she was mouthy though  in the camp
ground see   enormous boulders  kids would
climb     Cleveland    some boy's family
was from   I'd never heard of it  a boy
my age    next to us  he looked at me
I thought it meant something    smooth cool  red rock
Utah is full of sandstone    early morning chill
parents asleep     stupid kid brother   I climbed
the sky red  dawn      witnesses
I imagined waiting  the boy would arrive but I
couldn't see what else he never came  dry stone
held me    waited its turn   warm to the touch
now the sun risen mother sheepish   red eyes
canyon wrens trilling    I finally landed   hard
ground hopeful   hopeless child     stupid boy
dumb rock  witness to the end of innocence  mother
knew then    she had always suspected Roy
violence  of earth fractures   and dreams.