Carlson Riggs Character Analysis

NO. 1.1: SURVIVAL TACTICS (made plain)

Get
down
with
some
body

or

get
beat
down
by
some
body.

Then
the bus-stop
lean back
to get a glimpse

of the world.

But the metal barrel
dug into my back,
making me wince,
making me obvious

and wack.

SHE BRUSHED HER HAND AGAINST MINE

to get my attention,
which on any other
occasion would’ve
been the perfect
open for me to flirt
or at least try to do
my best impression of Shawn,

which was
his best impression of Buck.

So I explained them to
her so she wouldn’t think
less of me for following
them

[...]

So that she knew I had
purpose

and that this was about
family

and had I known
The Rules when we
were kids I would’ve
done the same thing

for her.

Fly.
Like Shawn.
Foreshadowing the flash.

BUT TO EXPLAIN MYSELF

I said,

The Rules are
the rules.

it was like the word
came out and at the same time
time went in.

Went down
into me and
chewed on everything
inside as if
I had somehow
swallowed
my own teeth
and they were
sharper than
I’d ever known.

The end?

he murmured,
looking at Buck,
motioning for a light.

It’s never the end,

Uncle Mark said,
all chuckle, chuckle.
He leaned toward Buck.

Never.

I didn’t know
he wasn’t the right guy,

Pop said,
a tremble in
his throat.

I was sure that was Mark’s killer.

Had
to
be.

A DUMB THING TO SAY

would’ve been to
tell Buck how important
that soap was

that it stopped Mom from
scraping loose a river
of wounds.

But instead
I just said,

Riggs.

AND EVEN THOUGH

his face was wet
with tears he wasn’t
supposed to cry
when he was alive,

I couldn’t see him
as anything less
than my brother,

my favorite,
my only.

NO. 1.1: SURVIVAL TACTICS (made plain)

Get
down
with
some
body

or

get
beat
down
by
some
body.

Then
the bus-stop
lean back
to get a glimpse

of the world.

But the metal barrel
dug into my back,
making me wince,
making me obvious

and wack.

SHE BRUSHED HER HAND AGAINST MINE

to get my attention,
which on any other
occasion would’ve
been the perfect
open for me to flirt
or at least try to do
my best impression of Shawn,

which was
his best impression of Buck.

So I explained them to
her so she wouldn’t think
less of me for following
them

[...]

So that she knew I had
purpose

and that this was about
family

and had I known
The Rules when we
were kids I would’ve
done the same thing

for her.

Fly.
Like Shawn.
Foreshadowing the flash.

BUT TO EXPLAIN MYSELF

I said,

The Rules are
the rules.

it was like the word
came out and at the same time
time went in.

Went down
into me and
chewed on everything
inside as if
I had somehow
swallowed
my own teeth
and they were
sharper than
I’d ever known.

The end?

he murmured,
looking at Buck,
motioning for a light.

It’s never the end,

Uncle Mark said,
all chuckle, chuckle.
He leaned toward Buck.

Never.

I didn’t know
he wasn’t the right guy,

Pop said,
a tremble in
his throat.

I was sure that was Mark’s killer.

Had
to
be.

A DUMB THING TO SAY

would’ve been to
tell Buck how important
that soap was

that it stopped Mom from
scraping loose a river
of wounds.

But instead
I just said,

Riggs.

AND EVEN THOUGH

his face was wet
with tears he wasn’t
supposed to cry
when he was alive,

I couldn’t see him
as anything less
than my brother,

my favorite,
my only.