My forehead was an oiled rose. Everyone

was thinner and had better skin. You were quick

as a whip with physics and math but never could

see the big picture. I was slower at school because

I've known too much since the day I was born. 

So you did the homework, and I copied yours. 

Then you accused me of cheating, and I failed

that test of human decency. 

It's like we were playing

a game, only we weren’t on the same team,

though we were both teenage children

who would grow until we stopped growing,

then spin out our mortal days, waiting

to die like house cats and horseflies. 

In the meantime, we all do what we must

to survive. Even the rich are given to death,

but it was you who taught me that in life

you only get what you pay for.

Consider love, the price of cut lilies, the cost

of living in a hidden city on a hill.

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