Author: Tamiko Lowery

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

Jeff

these days

your dad

is spending

his nights

away from home

in a room

not his own

and even

in the loss

the disarray

he searches

for an opening

down the winding path

for his cabin on the hill

where he was happy

to be

him and granny e

happy to be

warm in the sunlight

wrapped in the moonlight

at the end of the pier

the fish are biting

pulling on the lines

the grill’s bout ready

for the chicken

the sides are all done

ice in the cooler

sweet tea in the container

a lemon pie in the frig

homemade ice cream cranked

watermelon cut up and cold

crickets going crazy

can’t smell the gardenias

for the citronella

all the ashtrays are full

and every star is out

winking at the moon

the trolling motor

drawing near

and somebody just

pulled in and got out

the screen door bangs open

and shut

like the fireflies

that light it up

on the Fourth of July

TL

Minutes

was running

behind

and didn’t have

time

to stop and get out

and pick him up

and set him down

and I realized

on the way

back

in those minutes

that passed

that nobody had time

to stop and get out

and pick him up

and set him down

a turtle on the tracks

his small shell crushed

into …

 “if not you,

then who”

TL

Rock Formation

“adapt, adjust

and overcome …”

sounds simple enough

right

the adapt and adjust part

is repetitive

all the way

and back around

and around

round the hemisphere

it’s the overcome part

that’s hard

to scrape off

given the layers and such

outer and inner

the membrane

not even a chisel

nor a torch

forget about butter

it is a process

that takes more time

than any of us have

on earth

it’s a wearing away

a weathering

of what we think

what we know

about ourselves

strips us and leaves us

at the core

of who we are

what we are

no more

no less

TL

Papa T

from the 7^th floor

window

I can see …

the brick building

where Granny E went and died

he never wanted her there

wanted her home with him

but she needed more than he could give

and it feels like granny all over again

‘cept this time he’s not there

sitting in the corner

tapping his cane

telling her, “it’ll be all right …”

it’s been 12 days so far

he had his mind that first day

and we talked as if he were at home

sitting there at the table

feeding himself his supper

and the nurse came in and asked him

a bunch of questions

and she couldn’t type fast enough

the second day

the nurse asked him no questions

at all

yesterday he stopped eating

but maybe today

he’ll be hungry

TL

A Night at the Orchestra

even the dust

danced

there in the beam

lined in red velvet

encrusted in gold

as the lid lifted

the maestro turned the key

and kept winding it and winding it and winding it

tight as it’d go

and the music box played

all my favorite songs …

the rise and fall of Rome

the butterfly that lives but once

the hold of love so full you can feel it

the echo of centuries past

the wind ripping through the treetops

the fish leaping out of water

the spider leaving its quiet line

the rain drip dropping down

the swans gliding effortlessly

and all along the little bird

with its little song

sings not for applause

or ovation

but for the simple pleasure

of singing

TL

Tiger Tough

over the course

of a lifetime

one undergoes

a series of deaths

the loss of youth

is a death

the loss of a parent

is a death

the loss of a friend, your best friend

is a death

the loss of your self …

your worth in the world

is indeed a death

the drainage of loss

leaves a lot of space

to drown in

hold your breath!

‘til your body rises

from the floor

and when you break the surface

get on your back quick

and float

so, when night comes

you can still see the stars

from where you are

and if there are no stars

that night

just close your eyes

and drift to your dream …

there the stars

and when you wake

in the sea of sorrow

get a good stretch in and roll over

on your belly

taste the tears lapping against your lip

feel the waves wash over you

hear the wind rush past

squint your eyes ‘til they adjust

the sky’s still blue

you’re alive

that mystical map

embedded in the soul

will bring you back

from where ‘ya been

and it won’t matter

no more

it won’t matter

no more

‘cause being lost at sea

doesn’t mean

you won’t be found again

but you gotta roll over first

roll over

TL

Resilience

and Tiger returns

to the Masters

where he belongs

on the green

TL

Hawks

kites were

high

swept up

against a blue, blue sky

no strings attached

they flew in threes

showing off

their wings

the span of flight

a precision slice

cut through clouds

and distant sheets

a halo of leaves

TL

Mary Slaton

she had

done her research

for months on end

sat down with the surgeon

asked him the same robotic question

a thousand different ways

had read that story about that woman

who had had the exact same surgery done

how she talked it up in the paper

had nothing bad to say about it

so, when that Tuesday morning rolled around

she felt like everything would go as planned

but that’s the thing about plans

it’s outta your hands

how could she know

she’d be lying there bleeding

how the surgeon would have to go back in

with another cardiac cut

deeper this time

supposed to be there 3-5 days

not 3-5 weeks

but she sounded good on the phone

hopeful to go home

any day now

get back to her daffodils

and her music lessons

and waking up in her own bed

with the birds outside

her window

singing their song …

her favorite melody

TL

Rock-a-Bye

she watched him

through the screen

watched him

walk away

said she’d never

done that

before

but that morning

when he left

out the door

she watched him

through the screen

‘til she couldn’t see him

no more

and when evening fell

over the morning sun

“head-on collision …

tanker and car …

driver did not survive …”

she understood why

she watched him

walk away

that day

he was 23

her son

had a baby girl

3-weeks-old …

now 8

TL

Silver Handles

he went around

drilling handles

in the doorways

of his daddy’s house

pulling on ‘em

with his weight

making sure

they’re secure

he put one

by the bathroom

one by the door

one by the stove

another by his chair

one up over there

over yonder

seems he put ‘em

everywhere

for the times

he can’t be there

sometimes, in life

‘ya need somebody

to hang a handle

in your doorway

a steel hand

to hold ‘ya up

when your legs

give out

TL

deGraffenried

he gave

the best

bear hugs

right, little cub

warm and tight

help ‘ya sleep

safe at night

don’t forget that

little cub

don’t forget that

big bear hug

the kind ‘ya feel

your whole life through

he gave the best of ‘em to you

his little cub

(February 5, 1955 – March 5, 2015)

TL

Dear Dad,

they say

the struggles

make ‘ya stronger

I say

I’d rather not be

that strong

they say

what doesn’t kill ‘ya

makes ‘ya stronger

I say

what doesn’t kill ‘ya

does something else entirely

nobody just is

strength is born

out of agony

the weakest hour

had I known that then

when I was seven

I would of never prayed

for that

to be strong

TL