MY ABUSIVE BASKETBALL COACH MADE ME A BETTER MAN

He taught me how to fix a jib

and tell a joke in French. And

let’s us not forget that day in Spring -

all the ‘i’s before ‘e’s - friend, believe, die

Those he taught, too - 

Seize, weird, vein - would wait for another day;

yesterday he said would be tomorrow; 

today brandished iron

in the form of a chair

hear it comes sailing

what I thought was me

was just me versus

 my open arms