i know family
cemetery dirt
caked under my nails
bloodied fingertips
this combination
an infection brewing in
my bloodstream
like de-oxy-ri-bo-nu-cle-ic acid
my next breath
hot glued
to the roof of my lungs
i know community
clawing
nails ripped from their beds
scraping
past the gravel and ash
digging
through the dirt
of our childhood homes
i know love
and all that one does
in its absence