Kristin LaFollette

Careful Examination

One night I dreamt of
            trees and

danger and that my
spine had been opened up

and examined.

I dreamt of my father
            in a forest

and spinal surgery
where someone else

was being examined
while the seasons

changed outside.
It was October but

it was still hot and rainy

and

I dreamt about children
trick-or-treating in
orange costumes

but my brother wasn’t
one of them.

I dreamt that he was a
scarecrow, standing

alone in a field.

Enzymes

I dreamt that an
x-ray
showed my
heart
was missing

I wish I could see through your
eyes
that are sometimes
green
and sometimes
brown
like you might be two people at once

Like you might have two
hearts
crushed together in the same cavity

As if you regenerate, like a
liver

Kristin LaFollette teaches English and humanities to college students in northern Indiana where she lives with her husband.