Month: October 2014

Rainbow Falls

tried this

once before

and turned

around

an hour in

got to that point

bricks and mortar

tell yourself

it’s ok

do it … another day

why not today

bleeding boots

whining when

sandal soles

that’s why

and they tell us

another hour

and a half

you’re there

and it’d be easy

if the trail

were smooth

and even

and dry

but it’s not

at all

resting on rocks

pulling up socks

twisting over rubble

sloshing through the muck

that plank bridge

and this is a vacation

12 miles

to watch

the water

f

a

l

l

and it hadn’t

a thing to do

with water

TL

Souvenir Shop

there was

a quality

of pitch

to her tone

a grittiness

at the bottom

of her laughter

the way she

talked

rhetorical

how she

lifted each

object

and turned it

over

said something

and when

she asked me

“where’re ‘ya from, dear?”

that was it

poor woman

had no idea

“I’m sorry …

you remind me …

of granny …”

TL

Marc Simont

I knew you

only

on the page

wielded there

by lead

and I was standing

at the shelf

a new mother

then

wrapped in wonder

at the beginning

of books

for her

picking off spines

and putting them back

row after row

when found

your tree

your girl

with the blue

watering can

your catch-me cat

your pacing dog

your use

of lifted light

and as I peeled

the pages back

I found

the sentiment

of the soul

made perfect

in the simplicity

of sketches

by a boy

of Paris birth

(Nov. 23, 1915 – July 13, 2013)

TL

Undone

when the day

had

undone at the seams

and left all

the stuffing on the floor

this time

she didn’t bend

or stoop

dropped the needle

in the hay

gave the thread to the spider

and walked away

to the trees

of fall

and found a spot of sun

to sit

a twig to twirl

or not

the running wind

ripped up the path

wiping away

more than dead leaves

TL

Confection

made it

to the store

got out

and bought a pink

marshmallow

and took it home

and unzipped it

and admired it

for a moment

before I pounded it

square

with a pair of boxing gloves

bought before the marshmallow

satisfied with the topping

took the mitts off

and slid under

the square

and baked for

almost 45 minutes

TL

Morning Rush

got his window

rolled

and flicks his cig

and I watch it

bounce and roll

to stop

the drift a version

just went through

red light, green light

his pick-up truck

nothing but dust

move on

to fill the tank

press the buttons

yes

no

and look up

at the slats

a corner of the covering

belongs to that bird

and he watches

that woman

walk to her car

with that big bag

of tater chips

that gulp drink

what he’d give

for a chip

crank the tank

watch the needle

hit the gas

the brake

see the leaves

rush upstream

like swimming salmon

a nest of swarming

honey bees

TL