The Blue Shed
After the rain,
I walked into the field
and found the blue shed
where my father kept his ammunition.
I tried to pick up a shell,
but it cut my hand.
I closed the door.
When I turned around,
my father stood there, bleeding,
watching me.
He asked why I had been so careless,
why I had come back.
When I opened my mouth,
he was already dead.
Nicholas Galinaitis is a Lithuanian-American writer, pianist, and organist living in Southern California. His poems have appeared in Cimarron Review and The Gay & Lesbian Review. He divides his time between writing and performing and is at work on collections of poetry and short fiction. You can follow him on Instagram @nickgalinaitispoems or check out his website NicholasGalinaitis.com.