Growth
pass a field
of cattle
black shadows
barely moving
midday
and further down
the brown mare
kicks around
the dust
no orchard
for miles
just barb wire
and pasture
and she’s good
at waiting
around
for sooner
or later
TL
Poetry
Growth
pass a field
of cattle
black shadows
barely moving
midday
and further down
the brown mare
kicks around
the dust
no orchard
for miles
just barb wire
and pasture
and she’s good
at waiting
around
for sooner
or later
TL
Dealt
they have
their cards
on the table
one solitaire
one tented
and the cards fall
where they may
and both start over
one with diamonds
the other gold
TL
Squares
her hands
needed something
to fold
something to carry
something to put away
and in the rhythm of repetition
she returned to the woman she was
who remembered she had a husband
and boys and girls
who called her, “Mama”
and she could remember when her husband died
when her children left home
and she could remember the garden in the back
full of fruit and flowers
and how the roses blushed and burned
and she remembered that she was worn
slap to the bone
that soon she’d leave her children
for her husband
and when the last of it
was folded
and carried
and put away
she returned to the woman she was
who could not remember
her name
TL
Frames
she sat in a corner
like Little Jack Horner
bellowing out,
“EVERYTHING must go,
even the house!”
and this was her greeting
to young and to old
and smiled we did
as we sifted
all manner of ware
strewn here, strewn there
and down on a creaking knee
we bent to see
what walls would wear
long scenic shores
through Tuscan trees
off the white of France
mid fields of frozen flowers
carbons of Renoir, Monet
and again, she bellowed out,
“Take it all, $50 for the lot!”
but a museum we were not
and later she would say
how she could not stay
in a house too big
for a pair
and as we left her there
we heard her holler
to the next dollar
“EVERYTHING must go,
even the house!”
TL
Hereafter
dip of hand
leaves a swirl
of satin ribbon
that snakes across
a lake in morn
where ripples
even out
to edge
like wrinkles
from a made-up bed
and night is nigh
as warm you were
and waking
and stirred your cup
and drunk the dreg
and fore you left
you said
later and after
like there would be
later and after
but ribbons unravel
end to end
so, if you’re waiting
for a lull
in the lake
that is your life
don’t dally the day
twilling later and after
for nothing is more
than here
than now
TL
Jennifer Mejia
her little sister’s
on TV
and probably always
wanted to be
but not like this
not like that
and little starts out strong
like she taught her to be
but little gets lost
in that broken place
and you ache for her
the little girl
who’ll walk the world
without her sister’s hand in hers
and you ache for her
TL
Roberta Flack
3 a.m.
and you’re here
with me
and the moon
and I play your song
and it sounds the same
so it must be me
that’s changed
and I thought I knew you then
like I know you now
but time tells
otherwise
and you realize
too late
the mistakes
were not
“things we can’t untie”
TL
Dear Dad,
she just sneezed
down the hall
dust or dog or bunny or bird
and she was just here
a second ago
with her pirate patch
but blinked
five now
and too beautiful
for words
and has no idea
an inquisitive child
sensitive and serene and silly
there’s a look she can give
like she can see past it
all your flaws
and she tells you like it is
then does a little jig
and screams for ice cream
and a cone
but never eats the cone
just the cream
and she loves salmon
swimming in malt vinegar
and pours too much soy sauce
too much salt
too much lemonade
too much Mr. Bubble
and she’d rather the frosting over the cake
and when she finds a penny in the parking lot
she thinks she’s rich
and she is
TL
My Love
never said
but saw
that was all
TL
Left
and after all
that
no need
just want
aware to sit
too spent for else
or much
leave it
to the young
to that
to the puppies
to the kittens
to the calf
leave it
to that
leave it
to the leaves
let go
of the trees
leave it
to that
leave it
to the tables
to the chairs
to the silent stare
leave it
to that
leave it
to the glass
to the rim
to the cube
leave it
to that
leave it
to the gold
to the greedy
to the cold
leave it
to that
leave it
to the wind
to the dust
to the smoke
leave it
to that
leave it
to the word
to the syllable
to the verb
leave it
to that
leave it
to the sea
to the sand
to the weed
leave it
to that
leave it
to the mouse
to the cat
to the trap
leave it
to that
leave it
to the song
to the dance
to the second chance
leave it
to that
leave it
to the lies
to the truth
to the bye
leave it
to that
leave it
to the memory
to the mind
to the sublime
leave it
to that
leave it
to the wept
to the mirth
to the earth
leave it
to that
leave it
to the love
to the unloved
to the mud
leave it
to that
leave it
to the up
to the down
to the turn-around
leave it
to that
leave it
to the broken
to the whole
to the speck
leave it
to that
leave it
to the best
to the worst
to the first
leave it
to that
leave it
to the line
to the pins
to the cloth
leave it
to that
leave it
to the time
to the moment
to the beep
leave it
to that
leave it
to the quiet
to the loud
to the proud
leave it
to that
leave it
to the hit
to the miss
to the if
leave it
to that
leave it
to the travel
to the ticket
to the top
leave it
to that
leave it
to the can’t
to the won’t
to the could
leave it
to that
leave it
to the lone
to the crowd
to the rest
leave it
to that
leave it
to the trace
to the trail
to the tomb
leave it
to that
TL
Movie Magic
sitting there
in your body
still in your story
staring at a square
and the scenery
and the sound
and the emotion
carry you
off the couch
to the shores of someday
and the words
are the words you would say
to someone
if you spoke
and the song
is the song you would sing
to someone
if you sang
and the moment
is the moment you would give
to someone
if you gave
TL
Unreal
ad-apt
ad-just
ad-here
womb to world
knees, toes, soles
the first time you bleed
and the grass is green
and the dirt is brown
and the shadow of someone
disappears
and there are bones in a box
and it’s too much for the mind
what with days
and a million moons
weddings and babies and balloons
and there are forms to fill
and forms to file
and you’re in
and you’re out
and the occupation
turns to weather
which way the wind
and what hurts when
falls and breaks
cataracts and canes
and it sums the same
less it happens
out-of-order
bones in a box
without length
and it’s too much
to contain
TL