Primrose Lane — second draft

the unappealing character
smokes as he walks away
from the wasted son he’s brought here;
he saunters off to start a new life.

i can be anything now,
he tells himself. he pats his chest
to be sure he has enough cigarettes
for the journey.

meanwhile, the boy assembles his tools.
what will he be when he adjusts
to the scentless air?
he tells himself it doesn’t matter,

that this is his father’s life and he needn’t
live it if he doesn’t understand it,
but he knows he’s going to try.
he knows he’s honor-bound to it.

the smoking man is long gone
when the boy sits down on the curb and imagines
the smell of marlboros on the breeze.
it’ll be dark a long time. it’ll be good to have a compass like that.