Angie’s Map:
Works on hanging a screen door
Moves fast
Takes in scene in whole
Take the child under the arms
Remove the child from the boiling puddle
Take him to the sink
Throw out plates
Strike the tap
Let the cold well water run over the boy’s feet
Gather and pour or fling more cold water over the head, shoulders and chest
Send the mommy for towels and gauze
Move quickly and well
Cease to hear the high screams
Look at the soft soles for blisters
Say “I’m here, I’m here”
Wet a the towel down
Swaddle him tight
Lift the baby out of the sink
Set him on the kitchen table’s edge
Soothe him
Bend in
Repeat “I’m here, I’m here”
Try to calm
Think
Meet eyes with her, widen
—with her—
Open the towel
Lean the little boy back on the checkered cloth
Unfasten the softened tabs
Try to remove it
See where the real water’d fallen
——————-
Turn away
Throw a haymaker at the air
Curse yourself and the world
Want a cigarette
—with her—
Diaper the child as best you can
——————
Lift him like a newborn, skull in one palm
Run him to the hot truck
Christal’s map:
Abandon work
Assess tragedy
Act deliberately
I’m here
Ignore the noise
Create a method
I’m here
Comfort victim
I’m here
Suspend judgment
Ignore the noise
I’m here
Resolve tragedy
I’m here
Notice steam
Unwrap
Discover the source
Suspend judgment
Pack up
Travel to unhurt
Darrell’s map:
Directives
Daddy
Door
Douse
Diaper
Dabbing
Daddy
Door
Scream
Fast
Steaming
Mouth wide
Dabbing pointlessly
Frozen
Bare little feet
Run on sentence
Invoking God
Mind empty
Regular as breath
Map the body
Little fists
Distended
Mind’s extreme rear
Feet’s soles with one hand
Bent in
High pure shining sound
Talking sing song
tiny stricken motions
watch the whole
rest unfold
Trebien’s map:
Hanging
Move fast
The overturned pot
on the floor tile
Down on one knee
Dabbing pointlessly
Frozen
(almost)
Take
Lift away
Take
Sink
Cup hands
Gathered
Poured
Flung
Empty everything
Moved slightly
Check the feet soles with one hand
Stop his heart
Bebe’s map:
Daddy: outside chore, everyday mundane dailiness
Mommy: he hears her voice gone high
Daddy moves fast gets the scene all at once
Toddler. Rigid. Separate sounds
Mommy dabbing at, pointless, frozen
Daddy at sink with child, throws out plates, cold well water poured, flung
Daddy sends God invoking Mommy for things
Daddy moving quickly and well, empty man’s mind, purpose
Door half hung moves slightly, bird appears to observe (how long does it take to take in the bird?)
Take it in: worst scalds to the right, fading, screamed except maybe now reflex
Small face distended veins
Daddy saying he’s here, adrenaline ebbing/ anger gathering
Mommy. Mommy tries. Objectless words
Daddy bent in, here.
A minute, two like this: high pure sound, Mommy at Daddy’s side talking at sing-song, lark bird, hinge gone white in the strain
Parent’s eyes meet & widen
Unfasten the softened tabs where the real water’d fallen
Baby Boy: all this time screamed for help and they hadn’t, hadn’t thought
State of what was there – God
Mommy grabbed table to stay upright
Daddy cursed himself for not the last time
Child, before, watching Daddy’s song, seeing way past him
Have a child/ break your heart/ twangy lady’s song always now with you/ a cigarette then, again
Daddy lifts him, runs to the hot truck, burns rubber all the way to town
Door hanging open all day, gives up/out
Child has left himself
Sun continues to rise.