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…

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…

Gazebo

Not a quart of iced tea,chilly beads of sweat tracking down its sides,pooling on the green formica.They drink a toast to the sun and the breezefrom inside enameled lattice,turn up…