Month: May 2015

Dear Dad,

she’ll be nine

tomorrow

and I think I’m in denial

I just

keep busy

with things to do

pretty soon I won’t be able to pick her up

any

more

when I tell her this

and I tell her this all the time

she just laughs and says I’d better start lifting heavier weights

yesterday, I walked into the kitchen

and she’d already put up the decorations on the cabinet doors

when I asked how she did it

‘cause I didn’t see a chair

she demonstrated by jumping up in the air with a fly swatter

she had smacked each giant pre-taped water drop to each cabinet with the fly swatter

she looked at me like I should have known that

I get that look a lot

since March, she’s been on this owning-her-own-gift-shop-kick

so, tomorrow she’s gonna sell her wares to the party people

she’s made pottery, necklaces, bracelets, bookmarks, flowers, Legos, a mess

her artwork is priceless

I’ve already bought two sketches and two bookmarks and a Lego record player

she made me sit still for a self-portrait yesterday and let me have it for free

I actually like it, minus the fat face

she’s awake now

so, ‘ya know what that means

yeah, I’ll tell her

TL

Brandon

and tonight

he’ll be done

with high school

no more bell ringing

No. 2 pencil breaking

A, B, C, D or E

all of the above

lockers slamming

soles squeaking

talking trash

and trucks

heavy on the pedal

music blaring

trying to get that girl’s

attention

good boy being bad

taming his curls with a cap

acting like he don’t care

Ruger knows better

and the puppy ain’t talking

that hot summer sun

sweat on the brow

working with his hands

enrolling at Southern Union

hoping welding does the trick

poof … he’s outta here

the young always wanna leave

fast as fall leaves

just so they can come back

different

and he will be different

it will never be as it is now

and it’s funny how

his whole life

he’ll be trying to get back

to this place … this feeling

no longer a little boy

not quite a man

but somewhere

in-between the trees

twigs in the dirt

branching out

limbs and leaves

a stick in the sand

becomes

only what it ever imagined

it could be

perhaps more …

shade for the weary

shelter for the sparrow

hooks for the spider to weave

leaves for the ladybug

a maze for the butterfly

bark for the squirrel to run up

and down

a cradle for the mother bird

a jungle gym for the little boy

with dirty feet

in need of a sturdy branch

for his sword

to slay the dragon

and save the maiden

so fair and true

TL

When Roses Grow

he crossed

time

to sit in a stadium seat

and watch his daughter

walk

he saved a spot

for her mother, too

he always does

and like church

there was a sermon

there was singing

there was ceremony

fellowship and flowers

and it didn’t matter

if the Auburn Creed

or The Star-Spangled Banner

or all those names written on the program

were words

he could not say or sing or read

he stood when they stood

he listened when they listened

he laughed when they laughed

he clapped when they clapped

he sat down when they sat down

and he puffed with pride

as any American parent would

on the day

his daughter graduated

from college

TL

Silver Lining

in a meadow

down

the trail is worn

dressed in prints

of four

of two

and mine were muddy

from the swamp

not as many

for the fall

appear then disappear

on the edge of barbwire

the other side of a rock wall

the bank of a creek

a rooted row

of ridges and rings

they climb for the cloud

that first taste of rain

wet on the lip

a soak in the sun

surrounded by blue

lost in the gust

hard against the moon

suspended there

in light

a cut of diamonds

in the dark

appear then disappear

in a meadow

down

TL

Determination

on a day

without a whisper of wind

to lift a leaf

or a breath of breeze

to fell a petal

she peeled back the plastic cover

unraveled the string

smiled at her wide-eyed “minion”

and took off running

yellow streamers chasing

“mama, mama, mama,

come quick … watch me,

watch me fly my kite!”

TL

Sam Hunt

just wanna say

what I can’t say

enough

been wearing it out

Montevallo

cranked up

forward – reverse

idling at the light

just away

takes me away

from things

‘ya can’t change

and all he wants to do

is go home

kicks off the covers

his feet dangle on the side

sits up

looking around

for his keys

his hat

his cane

and he’s looking at me

with why in his eyes

as they slide him back

to the middle

2:35 … 2:45

gotta go

wave him bye

walk down the hall

easily

3456 opens the door

rush past his window to my car

keys in hand

get in and shut the door

and take a breath

a tissue

and turn the key

and back it up

your song …

continues

where it left off

TL

Blue Bird

had a dream

last night

you got up

outta that bed

gripped the walker

and walked right on out

outta that room

down the hall

straight out the door

and it felt so real

like that talk

we had just yesterday

when you were back

from wherever ‘ya been

and it’s been so long

since we talked

like that

laughed like that

and I wanna tell ‘ya

how unfair I think it is

how I hate seeing you like this

how I wish I could help you

how unbelievably brave I think you are

how I won’t forget how you were before

before they doped you up like that

drugs that make ‘ya think your mind ain’t there

I know you’re still there

today, tomorrow

I know you’re still there

and when they move ‘ya tomorrow

outta rehab to long-term

I’ll know you’re still there

TL

Mavis and Gene

never saw

one

without the other

and even when

the aging process

did what it does

to the human mind

and body

it let the heart alone

let the soul go

on its way

back home

TL