Denver Writing Project

Tracy Stegall

The only C
in high school
was from Mr. Zeman in
physics.
fission and fusion meant
nothing

unless it was 11:30 with a midnight curfew
andihadtocompactallmyhormonesintothemetalcore

of the van

unstable as Plutonium 239
atoms splitting
electrons releasing
each second after
seeing St. Elmo's Fire at
the North Star Drive-In with
my
first
forbidden
love.

matter didn't matter
I needed a beryllium reflector
protecting my center
someone to cut the
yellow wire

I was an atomic bomb
waiting to blow