Brenton Booth

School

The day Magic Johnson
    was diagnosed with H.I.V.

I punched James in the
    face in the high school

playground for calling
    him a faggot. I saw James

5 years later on
    Darlinghurst Street,

muscular and tanned,
    in tight white jeans,

aviator sunglasses,
    and a hot-pink singlet.

His arm lovingly around
    another man with similar

clothes and build. I
    smiled, "Both he and

Magic have somehow
    made it," I thought as

they continued along
    the road.

Brenton Booth lives in Sydney, Australia. Poetry of his has appeared in New York Quarterly, Chiron Review, North Dakota Quarterly, Main Street Rag, Naugatuck River Review, Van Gogh's Ear, and Nerve Cowboy. He has two full length collections available from Epic Rites Press. brentonbooth.weebly.com