My youngest uncle
was the black sheep
of the family.
He died at age 92
when a pirouetting ballerina
knocked him from his high wire
during the juggling act.
His older brothers
never missed catching one pin -
then they switched to the long knives routine.
They have never missed him -
always asking me -
"Who? Nephew! Who?"
Carle Johnson is treasurer of the Worcester County Poetry Association and hosts the Worcester Barnes & Noble Bookstore Open Mic. He also facilitates the Sugden Writers Workshop in Spencer, Massachusetts. His poetry has appeared in Concrete Wolf, Sahara, and The Worcester Review, among others.