“Grief is, in a sense, the bill that comes due for love.”
– George Saunders


in 1995 the vcr was enough
to bring down the house
a crown atop the Zenith
or more a periscope
depending on how you see it
if concealment defines periscopicity
which is not a word
but whose definition
were it a word
would be no less worthy of inquiry

in 1995
the vcr was enough
to bring down the house
a wonderful place
to grow children
who happen to love television
television being a thing
the vcr recorded
if your family could
afford it

we for instance
had four
a vcr in my bedroom
a vcr in my parents’ bedroom
a vcr in the family room
and a vcr I never saw
but whose bill atop the kitchen table
was flint
or evidence
depending on how you see it