sibling

we play Galaga
hurl hunk of bright at the invasion coming down
make projectile from
a can of soup a spoon a mailbox 
taking the shoes off our feet
to throw 
the pixels peeling 
a kind of new snow jumping 
gone insect
the video game night sky all frenzied 
with creature
you & me, brother it's only us
who can save a two-dimensional world
move only side to side
the grass is cold with technology
& they're still coming 
in rows
like revolutionary war soldiers
bright square coats
colorful chandeliers
lowering themselves 
so many 
we put the quarters 
in the key holes of our house
put the quarters
in the dirt
to start the machine
i ask you if you have anymore
& you say no
& that means we can't stop throwing
i think of the arcade machines
at the back of the pizza shop
how naive we were 
to not know that games could spread
outside of those boxes
i feed you quarters
you spit them out at the outer-space men 
each exploding from the impact
almost fireworks 
lowering still 
new formations
i wish i was one of them
crave their same-ness
how all the rows of invaders look 
the same
a kind of necklace 
the sky a collar bone 
formations like geese
are they geese? 
victims of pixel 
we are just two boys then 
the only two boys on the surface
of the world
& i tell you 
we should let them come down
we should let the space ships land
to see what happens 
& you turn to me
confused you say 
this is a game
a video game 
your image going static
you put your hand on my shoulder
& i remember you are taller than me
even though i'm the older brother
i shake you off
& i try to run away from you
but the world is flat & no very long 
& the space ships are going to land
on the tops of our heads
you look up just a second
the creature crowning you 
rigid talons on your forehead 
one lands on me as well
& comes the dispersing of color
the world turned to smaller & smaller bright squares
my dissembled mouth says
you should listen 
to your brother