Author: Tamiko Lowery

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

Rearden

you’re supposed

to be

outside right now

sweeping the entryway

readying your mind

for the day

and it’s a long one

got a cap and a crown

cavities

to drill down

some wisdom

a bridge

and that stubborn girl’s

coming in

maybe if you’d stuck around

now, we sit there waiting

for you to come around

the corner

and appear in the doorway

with those magnifying eyes

missing nothing

he don’t miss nothing either

you’d like him

Gamotis

he admires your work

as you would his

gonna go see him

this morning

and get a brushing

and hope it’s just that

you know how it is

anyways, things are running

like clockwork

around there

you’d be proud

proud of ‘em

the girls

they kept it together

professional

but you already knew that …

knew they would

(March 10, 1948 – September 14, 2013)

TL

Seven Stars

Mc

Far

land

U

S

A

TL

DWTS

and the stars align

Derek Hough

has changed his mind

TL

Base

in the per

plexity

the quan

dary

the con

voluted

thing

be but

a lov

er

of sim

ple

things

like

base

ball

TL

Birdy Bird

in the cage

of the cat

the bird

flew not where

and even if

not with half a wing

on the mend

with the blue sky

in her eye

and the glint of sun

threaded through wet needles

she meant to rest

for but a moment

but fell fast asleep

on a limb

too high

and dropped

like a longleaf pine

that lives

but 500 years

TL

Flurry

there is

a quiet

at the end

of a lane

a pause

before it turns

to a street

becomes a road

an interchange

you close your eyes

and there’s a butterfly

why is it there

you watch it wink

down the path

beyond your reach

you open your eyes

and pause

before you take a hard right

‘cause you coulda sworn you felt it

the slightest brush

but that’s absurd

there are no butterflies

in the dead of winter

mustta been a snowflake

that fell

a drop that froze

overnight

TL

Bob Simon

he told

the stories

from the ground floor

not an escalator scraper

or an anchor’s cushion

he stood in the dirt

his boots muddy

his eyes full

of things

he never spoke

his compassion felt

across the lines

the way he gave dignity

to the deprived

there was no difference

between the dignitary or the derelict

he held them with the same gaze

gave them the same billing

he was what a reporter ought to be

humane

(May 29, 1941 – Feb. 11, 2015)

TL

Be Super

stadium seats

television screens

radio speakers

online apps

the playback …

an All-American flash

a snippet

to carry in the pocket

that thing coaches preach

in leagues big and little

in fields wide and narrow

backyards, city parks, the street

from the mud hole to the mountain

“believe you can … and you will”

TL

Maintenance

I stare

at the crack

in the ceiling

my music’s too loud

but I like it loud

I like to feel it

coursing through me

like a crashing wave

gets me up the hill

down the plank

through the set

past the stretch

and as I lie in sweat

staring at the crack

in the ceiling

I feel lighter somehow

not pounds lighter

just lighter

it’s my mind, my heart, my soul

that lifts

TL

Circular

whatever

it is

don’t let it

overtake you

sure it’s hard

and it hurts real bad

and you think you’re gonna die

never make it out

don’t sit in the ditch

don’t lie there

crawl if you have to

you’ll find your feet

one step, two

don’t turn around

keep to the front

toes forward

walk

walking helps

you’re moving

your body is moving

that’s important

down the mile

you’ll notice the light

the way it wakes the day

you’ll feel the rain

the way it clears the dust, the debris

you’ll see that life is circular

connected

you are a miracle

and you mean something

to somebody somewhere

even if you don’t know it

haven’t met them yet

you will in time

there is always a choice

free will

choose: yourself

put the pills down

drop the blade

toss the needle

get off the tracks

the ledge

don’t pull the trigger

untie the rope

flush the white stuff

trash the bottles

all of ‘em

get outta the car

the tub

he ain’t worth it

she ain’t worth it

they ain’t worth it

pain ain’t worth it

trust me

it ain’t worth it

but you are

you’re worth every bit

that person that died

wouldn’t want you to quit

get up

one step, two …

TL

Tea Time

perhaps

the world

could use

a cup of tea

with a lump of sugar

a biscuit and jam

a triangular sandwich

a snowy berry tart

forget the press

the pleat

the plat

forget all that

sit and sip

a spell

with me

a steamy cup

of English tea

not reserved for ladies

in turret castles

a man needs reprieve

a child needs treats

the old man, the young woman

they need to believe

the rich and the poor

sit at the same table

reaching for the same cup

of warmth

and belonging

TL

Speck

think not

this

for this

is not

a present thing

a sustained state

of being

no matter what

your watch says

or the potions promise

or the dance of endorphins in your head

the day will come

despite the unfinished crumb

you can gather all the intelligence

across seven continents

read every word

in the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève

push your body past the sea

of Galilee

find your inner peace

at Everest

that golden moment

at the pond

maybe love

token or not

your journey

your voyage

your quest

over air, rail or sea

ends somewhere

in the desert sole

a speck

that once walked

the sands

mirrored shore to shore

a shadow there

the length of it

dialed toward the sun

the silver spoon of the moon

TL