All the Broken Pieces

On Saturday, Matt’s parents go to a funeral, and Matt hears them talking about how the deceased person “lived a good life” (83). He wonders, if people don’t live well, if they “do something terrible,” then “do they ever find peace?” (83). Because Matt’s parents are attending the funeral, Jeff takes Matt to his baseball game, and Matt is excited to ride in Jeff’s silver Corvette. Even though the Lions win, Matt “bobble[s] a hit” (85) because he looks back to see if Jeff is watching, and the other team gets a run. Rob asks him, “What’s the matter, Frog-face?” (85) in response to his fumble.

Jeff takes Matt out to lunch, but Matt is still upset about the game, even though Jeff tells him that “even Ron Guidry / makes mistakes” (86). Then Jeff says he wants to talk about Vietnam, and fear “explodes” (87) inside Matt, “shattering everything” like “a thousand / scattered bullets” (87). Matt flashes back to a scene where he’s running through mud and rain, struggling to carry his brother’s “bruised and wailing body” (89) home to his mom, who tells Matt what happened isn’t his “fault”—he’s not the one “who leaves traps / for small children” (89).