My grandfather bears a pocketknife
in the same pocket, every day.
Which: right or left?
More instinct or ritual?
Unconscious or holy?
My father stashes a multitool
hidden in the depths of a dresser
full of discerning silver
wrapped in a leather case.
Forgotten, but still cared for, protected
in its imposed hibernation.
He forks it over to
my reluctant hands.
I fear its bite into my skin
for I am all bark,
only newly accustomed
to these teeth.
So I admire without opening
wary of approaching it from behind,
of finding its unease
sinking into my flesh.
I quickly shove my palms
deep into my jeans
with just as many pockets
as my grandfather’s.
Leo Burchell is a senior in high school whose poems often revolve around themes of family, identity, and gender. He was named the Bucks County High School Poet of the Year in 2022. His work has been featured in The Incandescent Review and Footprints on Jupiter.
Poet’s Corner is curated by Bucks County Poet Laureate Tom Mallouk and supported by a grant to the Bucks County Herald Foundation made possible by Marv and Dee Ann Woodall.
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