My Cardboard Balcony

My Brother Had Gold Teeth by Belinda Roddie My brother had gold teeth that conducted electricity every time he talked. My brother had a voice that obstructed the wind in every alley where he walked. My brother had eyes that belonged to owls, the glowing judgment behind spectacles - the kind of color in the sky when howls of thunder trumpet all your obstacles. My brother had a mind that could not read the pages of romance I'd written for the darling of my life. He could not see why it was a princess whom I adored. My brother had a heart locked in a box, with no door for a queer sister to knock.

"You've got something else in the trunk again?" "Yeah." "It's not glitter, is it?" "Why would it be glitter?" Ginger grinned. "From the fabulous arts project that QSA put together." "I banned anything glittery from my car after that," I sighed. "Took ages to clean it all out." "Well, you know what they say..." "Don't say it." "HERPES!" I groaned.