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Month: February 2017

Fields

Fields

she colors

the sun yellow

and brings down the ray

to the green grass

that moves like the leaves

in the weeping trees

fluid like clouds in blue water

I lie down

and pick a flower

and twirl it round

and watch a squirrel scurry up

down

where the birds are

the turtle takes its time

to get to the other side

the rabbit’s chewing a carrot

the cows are chewing grass

the horse is chewing hay

the ladybug’s chewing a leaf

a butterfly takes a dance

across the wind

the hummingbird checks in

there are shadows on the ground

mountains in the distance

a garden full of roses

red apples in the trees

purple grapes on the vine

a path that leads

to a cottage

the windows are yellow

like the daffodils by the door

that come back waving

each year

TL

Dollhouses

Dollhouses

it never

occurred to me

why

I love dollhouses

so much

why a grown adult

would rather have a dollhouse

with a miniature family

and all its miniature pieces

over diamonds and gold

a dollhouse symbolizes

something constant

something secure

it’s a lovely, happy, peaceful place

to live

the orphan in me

loves the little family

that lives in the little house

with all its little things

the mom in the kitchen

the dad at the table

the baby in its crib

they’re all together

forever

TL

Hallway

Hallway

after you

went and died

your son gave me

a packet of pictures of you

for my birthday

I saw you as a young man

but my favorite

was the picture of when

you were a boy

in a blazer and tie

the look in your eyes

was the same I remembered

I put that picture in a frame

and put it by my bed

‘cause it helped me sleep at night

remembering you like that

it helped me deal with your death

waking up and going to bed

and walking around

and around

it’s been a year

a little over a year

and it doesn’t hurt like it did

I hung your picture on the wall

‘cause I can finally sleep at night

without you there

beside me

TL

Flickering

Flickering

there are

violets in Tanzania

blue violets

picked in the mines

the darker the day

the more brilliant the color

like a diamond

in a black box

a star at night

TL

Unparalleled

Unparalleled

the aging process

is a quiet thing

like a knife

that runs along the skin

first you don’t even realize

just stings and goes away

you go make plans

on summer days

and all the while

the cut creeps down

the middle

and there’s an ache

that wasn’t there

and you forget

what you were gonna say

the phone rings

so you talk about that

and it’s tomorrow already

your child is grown

that place on the corner closed

the two-lane turned four

so and so just had a baby

you gotta find something to wear

to that thing

when did it get so cold

foot’s cramping

the knee stops running

stuck on a wheel

hair’s losing color

skin’s losing layers

the neck starts dropping

the face has a ripple effect

that spreads all over

the body

you’d rather stay home

and watch it on television

yeah, it hurts

to get old

I’ve watched it

on others

saw it for myself

the slow decay

and what it does

to you

mentally

physically

emotionally

the cut gets torn

wide open

like a broken zipper

on a jacket

you can’t close

when did it get so cold

colder still

TL