As a result of Profound nearsightedness And limited household affection My little kid self Thrilled Whenever my ophthalmologist Raised his eye scope And pressed his cheek to mine. The light scent of his aftershave His calm, steady breathing The patient clicking of the viewing wheel As he looked deeper into my eyes Than anyone. When … Read moreCan You See Me Now?
I never knew terror until her arrival. People exaggerated, I thought. The fat rolls and giggling, then crawling with gusto. A smile so sweet, never before seen on earth. Then, sitting at the table unafraid of any food, refusing help to leave her chair. Pigtails and running with glee on tiptoes to foil the Tickle … Read moreThe Gooey Center
My parent’s mountain cabin Hides a secret trail Along a secret stream A delicious escape from the dusty Heat of summer Cool spring water burbles Over granite stones and boulders Sand sparkles in the pools Between fallen trees Ferns grow tall along the path Soothed by the light spray And protected by giant pines Bright … Read moreLike Something You’ve Never Seen
Chromed clam Flying over pavement Clutching my handle Like an unsteady bar fly Singing Your pearl A chirpy chime Ding a ling.
Fugitives Pause To salute their struggle From tyranny From barking dogs From broccoli.
Dad played at being sad Complaining he’d lost his cornbread. Sis looked at Brother To see if he knew where the cornbread went. Brother smiled, having seen Dad’s performance before Hiding the cornbread under his hat. Mom eventually learned to love this joke Giggling children made it funny Even to baby.
A DuMont Teleset Replacing their Threadbare radio Feels like The future has arrived. The empty box A spaceship A submarine A portal to another world Waiting for the trash man. Get more out of life With television By DuMont. But one day When the tubes and wires fail It’s just another box Destined for the … Read moreThe Proclivity of Things
Cypress pines White sand beaches Home Even after Pop Died in the war. Cook on a fuel ship A favorite target Of German submarines The all-black crew Loved Pop’s gumbo. A crazy white man Pumped all the water Out of the swamp Put up high rises Mom got a job there Fried shrimp and grits … Read moreNever Glades
The gold fillings From pirate teeth Ground to dust Hid just below the surface Look for the glint As the waves return. Five years older Big brother knows The glint is from Gold nuggets Pirates sewed into their clothes. Gold dust too fine to retrieve? Sounds like fool’s gold to me Dad said. We looked … Read moreYeah But Who Cares
You forgot Who And what And where You are. You forgot The house The kids And me. Helping you Dress Shower And cross the street Is our new love story.