I believe in black checkers, Slinkys

with kinks, jeans fraying

at the bottom, clothes from Goodwill,

wishful thinking, the last two swigs

in the milk jug, off-brand

soft drinks, bruised fruit, buggies at Wal-Mart

that thump as you roll them, clean-up

on aisle seven, Bazooka stuck to the bottom

of your hightop, dull razors, bent can-

openers, beater cars, the boy alone

at lunch, kind words, bear hugs,

bad hair days, chivalrous men, pretty faces

hidden behind frames, pennies

found face-down, broken mirrors,

books with missing pages, happy endings,

scratched CDs, vinyl, Jesus,

the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and kids

picked last at recess. Dark horses

prevail; dare to run with them.