The Millers

We keep a swing set in the backyard
We've had it since I was a kid
Since the Millers lived next door
Which was awhile ago now

They were there for a long time
The Millers
They were nice people

We keep a tree house in the backyard
That I fell out of once

Broke my arm
But I didn't cry
I didn't cry at all

We keep a vegetable garden
Where we raise deformed carrots
They come out all wrong
All twisted up and different colors
But we still eat them

We eat whatever comes out of the ground
Whatever we can get to grow
Between the rocks

We keep a deflated kiddie pool in the backyard
And deflated kiddie pool toys
And a hose with rust crusting the top of it
And a shovel with some stuff on it
On stuff on the handle too

We should get rid of that shovel

We keep a stone where we buried our dog
And two stones for the two cats
And a stone for my goldfish, Harry

So there are stones in the back yard
And they show you
Where the dead things are buried

But unlike the vegetable garden rocks
We don't have any trouble
Getting stuff to grow up
Through those stones

Through the markers

Mostly weeds, yeah
But sometimes flowers
Sometimes other stuff
Mushrooms, stuff
Dandelions, stuff

Stuff, stuff, more stuff

I didn't cry
When I broke my arm
Not at all

Even when I landed on the special spot
Where we weren't allowed to walk near
Because Dad says so

Where the dirt is always fresh
Even after Dad put fast-growing grass seed on it
And it didn't grow

Then he put a tarp down on it
And the tarp blew away

Then he covered it with sand
And he found somebody's footprint in it one morning
And the footprint looked like a boot
Like the boots Mr. Miller used to wear
When he was working in his yard

It looked like his footprint
But nobody had been in our yard
All night

After that
Dad just told us
To stay away from
That spot

But I fell right on it
And broke my arm

But I didn't cry

We keep manure in the backyard
Lots of it
Even though we don't plant much

But the backyard still smells like Mrs. Miller's perfume
Even though she's been gone a long time
Even though Dad keeps buying horseshit
And tossing it all over the yard

You can still smell her perfume
The one she was wearing that first day of summer

The day Dad came home
And told us the Millers moved out
And we were going to be the Millers now

I like being a Miller
I like it more than being what we were

Ever since the Millers left
We've been brand new people

Nice, just like the Millers were

My Dad even wore Mr. Miller's boots
Until that rash broke out
All over his foot
And the skin turned yellow
And there were black spots
All over his toes

We've all been having some trouble
With our health lately

But at least I don't cry anymore
I used to cry all the time
But not anymore

My Dad can hit me as much as he wants now
But I just don't feel anything at all

Even though I keep breaking stuff

My arm
My ankle
My shoulder

I keep getting clumsier and clumsier
Dad says he doesn't know what he's going to do with me

Maybe I'll turn out like the Millers
You know, the other Millers
The ones with the stones on them

Sometimes I get sad when I think about them
Because they were so nice
And Mrs. Miller smelled so sweet
Like the spring right before the summer

But I don't cry

I just try not to get hurt
And I try to avoid my Dad
Even though he's always watching me now

Maybe he's noticed
That I've started a new hobby

I've started collecting stones
For when the backyard is mine