After Watching the Challenger Documentary on Netflix
It all comes back:
The falling debris.
The schoolteacher.
My sixth-grade classroom
with sky blue walls.
Ryan who sat next to me
with that little toy space shuttle
he kept launching
and exploding over his desk.
The jokes on the playground:
What’s another name for NASA?
Why did the crew drink Coke?
The note I wrote to my future self,
I’m a little more aware of dying now,
a time capsule
of sad kid thoughts,
which I hid in a drawer
at home,
and my mother
threw out,
not knowing
what she’d found,
or what I’d lost.
Clint Margrave is the author of several books of fiction and poetry, including the poetry collections “Salute the Wreckage,” “The Early Death of Men,” and most recently, “Visitor,” all from NYQ Books.
Currently Reading:
“Annihilation” by Michel Houllebecq
“Exit Opera” by Kim Addonizio
For More About the Author: http://clintmargrave.com