Achilles and the Tortoise

Born into a family of escapees, orphaned—

parents mulliganed,

fled, deserted to the desert.

His first escape, years before

he left the family for prison,

was getting himself adopted.

Twenty years later, at the beginning

of a twenty-year sentence, including

four counts of bail jumping,

Sister Sylvia told me he would pick

me up from school. Instead, the police

showed, told me if I didn’t tell them

where he was, I’d go to jail, too.

Five years under my belt, I laughed

until I cried.

Used to imagine meeting him, once-

familiar-looking Magwitch,

in a cemetery oceans away—

perhaps once more, after myself

escaping into good fortune,

newly minted gentleman child, rich

opening the door to a chatty

cockney stranger, You’re my son—

more to me nor any son.

I’ve put away money,

only for you to spend.

Thereafter I only ever have seen

him in newspaper headlines,

rap sheets, too afraid to move beyond

the first few sentences—

      Outlaws Terrorize Tri-State

      Spelling Bee Fosters New Attitudes Among Inmates

      Officers Comb Metro-Area for Escapees

      Escape from confinement      additional 7 yrs

      Escapee Returned to Prison After 4 days

      Wanted Man Breaks Handcuffs, Flees

Yet ... never escaped the Dirty South.

And each time he went inside

then vanished, he stingily stole breath,

bits of a beating heart

left little pieces of himself in cells,

courthouses and scattered bits

’neath the Mason–Dixon

far from World-Famous Houdini,

King of Cuffs was amateur,

Zeno proving no

motion is possible, time

is divisible, infinitely.