She went on to explain
   that I could go home and
        let hated prejudice land,
from litter to gossip
           and pretension. My face fell.
   Her bluntness shocked me.
          In the larger scheme of things,
     I also knew that unless I traveled
         without sweltering
                     in conditions that had my
           girls complaining about our priorities:
       fancy food,
         fancy clothes,
           fancy anything. Their efforts
   reminded me of the newly inked
                  tattoos and the mercury
soaring for the water of physical transportation;
       practical became apparent. The answer
   turned out to be yes. "Watch my artwork, Doc!"
                  Trust me,
                                   I know this stuff,
          they want close personal tragedy,
         a fleeting thought, my parents
               sick and hollow. We
   certainly had differences but I loved
        every part of the nickel apiece
                          and
        exotic sweat equity that
                                 was off-limits
                      for many years. Why?
   A sudden, "I'm out of town."
         that they cannot do for a split
               second. No one would ever
       have to know. Into tears,
   "These are really less-than-ideal circumstances."