Seize

Brian Komei Dempster

Blue flame

in the eye's corner,

stove on

high, we brace

for his flint

and spark, our dark

surprise, his smile

jolts, head

unleashed, little body

arched, straining

in the high

chair, we stand

to face

anything, she steadies

his tray, eggs bubble

in the pot, I lunge

for his spoon, his purple

elephant, water boils

over sides, we look

to each other, sense

the sizzle, his bowl

clattering, a reverse

crater, we shake off

faults, shells

crack, window

shut, we smell

the heat, hardened

yolks, his brain's singed

gray, the scorched

black dome,

we are all

hollowed out.