chamber by candy neubert

The gun I keep in the underwear drawer
has a short grip; my little finger slips
right off the end of it. There are the four
chambers; it is like a heart, and it sits
well. It is for the white whale in my bed,
for taking him at night along the track
where rocks and pools long for him. Rounded lead
for the white marble mountain of his back.
The gun I keep in the underwear drawer
says Long John Silver - it might not be real
but it has a grey, unhappy colour
on the barrel and a sulphurous smell;
this helps him overcome the bashfulness
he feels about his size, and to undress.