With a Thousand Smiles
I sat staring through the window: The cars and trucks raced past, beyond the still, familiar, near: the bush, the trees, the grass. Just then, I saw a butterfly that…
Branching Out
Branch out, stretch and grow. But don’t forget where your roots are. They’re heavy at first, those roots, holding you back, weighing you down when you’re thin and wispy, when…
When the Bottom Drops Out
One cool autumn evening when the leaves are so crisp they crunch, the smoke tickles your nostrils, and pumpkins dot the doorsteps, you stand first in line to ride. Up…
Inside Out
Most people slidesnugly throughlike columnsin a counter.I drop them in as I'm sortingclean silverware,stacking plates.They spin like clothesin a glass-doored dryer,then teeteratop the othersbefore settling downuniforming.A few refuse to fit.Oddly…
Blue Paper and All
Your file in my mind's cabinet measures sharply thin. Others, fat and heavy, barely contained in the manila, scraps of scribble-stocked multicolored paper stuffed inside ... 1. White knuckles grasp…
In Residence
Deep in the purple velvet corner of her mind,he sprawls across an overstuffed leather sofa,guzzles beer after beer,clips his toenails into the carpet.Months since I walked out into the rain.And…
The Hike
When the mountain laughs,maybe it's time to trek down a bit,blisters and aches.It's easier going where you've already been.The snow's no more shallow,no less in your face;the sun's glare, no…
Ice
Frozen in time in place Words don't come They kick me in the stomach, tease me with their hints. Images on the tip of my tongue. Brilliant, odd words frozen…
On a Starry Night
On a starry night she curls up like a Persian on her bed. Past the faded leaves and dead bugs, she spies the star, the one that blinks pale green…
Burnt Toast: A Study
Wednesday at seven-o-five he slammed the door you pulled yourself up off the beige kitchen tile, wiped your mouth with the backside of your hand. He skidded out into the…