16-year-old Latin
sits on green wood bench
LA County Fair
his 18-month-old brother
stands at the other end
patting his hands
on the flat wood slats
smiling at his brother.
Early October, 98 degrees.
“Wanna drink,” older brother asks?
He opens his mouth but
makes no move to the water.
Older brother slides down the bench,
holds the bottle to his brother’s mouth
and he drinks.
Craig Cotter has lived in California since 1986. His poems appear in California Quarterly, Chiron Review, Columbia Poetry Review, Court Green, The Gay & Lesbian Review, Great Lakes Review, Hawai’i Review, & Tampa Review. His fourth book of poems, After Lunch with Frank O’Hara, is currently available on Amazon. www.craigcotter.com
