Same Oaks, Same Year

My cousin kept me and his little brother
saved me from our uncle’s

pit bull, then spent seven years
in prison for his set.

Every other word
he said was blood.

            ***

Uncle Nuggie showed us
how to make a BB rattle
inside a squirrel.

Two small holes,
enter and exit.

All summer I wondered
what leaves the body?

“Same Oaks, Same Year” first appeared in Four Way Review.