my dad used to tell me
that if you dug a hole
deep enough
you could look up
and see the stars
but he was wrong
so much of what he
had to say
what he said
or felt compelled
to pass on
was wrong
but he did give me a telescope
i held onto until my own kids
were old to look through it
and we tried to draw down the moon
white and tear-inducing
into an eyepiece
impossible to look into
without shaking
the telescope
