My brother is coming after me with a knife
Somewhere North of Dares Beach Road
In Prince Frederick, Maryland.

There is lots of conversation.
He is manic and persistently after my throat.
I’m not sure what he is talking about,
But it comes at the volume of every
Missed connection the last 6 years has amassed.
Flood gating levy tumble.

His eyes are huge,
His knuckles and wrists always
Elevated above heart level
(Not like a zombie, just grasping in general).

He looks good.
Radiant even.
With a black backwards baseball cap.

We slowly make our way down past
Smoothie King where he lunges
And swipes the knife at me.

I am doing quite well at dodging
Every attempt to slash me.
Until we are under the Apex Theaters
Sign in front of Safeway.

The sun has nearly set.
The spring air is clean
And the sky is dark blue.

Gun pulled, shoots me in the forehead.

Bullet hits my pre frontal cortex
And then arcs severely down and outward,
Like half a parabola.

The bullet leaves through my occipital bone.
I am stunned, but completely unscathed.

I scream: “How am I not dead?!”
My brother barely looks interested.
I say: “What the **** is Wrong with you?!”

I wake up.