Category: Tamiko Lowery

A Moment in Time

first boat ride

was a canoe

and i sat there

in the middle

of the two

staring at the water lilies

fascinated by floating flowers

i couldn’t convey

that day

out there on the water

feeling connected to nature

thinking we’d always be

together

gliding along

like swans

only now do I understand

the depth

for the canoe is gone

and the two of ‘em

never got back in the boat

and the child

in the middle

got old

and hasn’t seen

a floating flower since

but still wants to …

still wants to get back

in the boat

and glide

TL

Lift Your Cup

don’t drink

the dark

the grinds

stir in the cream

the sugar

to balance out

the bitter

TL

When We Drive

took a detour

from the traffic

adjusted the seat

lifted the wheel

and she wasted no time

climbing over the console

to assume her throne

while I work the pedals

she works the wheel

and off we go

round and round

merry-go-round

and the bird gets outta the way

and the puddle

gets a hit

‘cause she don’t miss

and the butterfly

disappears right quick

and the rabbits know

to stay put

and the worms well

it’s tough being a worm

and she loves that song

turn it up!

singing along

laughing like hyenas

round and round

we go

nice and slow

“faster, mama,

can’t we go any faster!”

yeah, no

TL

Ripple Effect

the sound of the sea

calls to me

the gurgle of a stream

meets me

the vibration of a lake

draws me

the rolling of a river

charges me

the sheets of rain

follow me

the pockets of puddles

empty me

the spray of fountains

wish me

the ritual of a bath

centers me

the stretch of a pool

pushes me

the cascade of a waterfall

stills me

the trail of a tear

carries me

TL

Memories Maketh

do things

hold memories

or do you

put the memory

in a thing

a house has no memory

but the people in it – do

and when they leave

they take the memories with them

but the house has no memory

of them

and all the things

stored inside the house

have no memory

of ever being used

or packed

or stacked

or shelved

or buried

but the people

who keep these things – do

and when they leave

the things

they take the memories with them

but the things have no memory

of them

people tend to hoard memories

seemingly never satisfied

never enough

make a moment more

make it less

remake it

replace it

rewind it

revolve it

place it here

put it there

give it more light

less light

no, don’t touch it!

leave it there

but he’s gone

and he’s never coming back

but she’s gone

and she’s never coming back

but that’s all I have … left

of him

of her

of them

what about the memory

do you need that thing

to remember them by

if you lost it

would you not remember them anymore

yes, but …

I need it

I need to hold on

to it

so, don’t touch it!

leave it there

all right, ok, we’ll leave it there

we won’t touch it

but I’m going over here

I’ll be over here

if you need me

right here

if you need me

but I can’t see you

over the stack

yeah, but

you can hear me, right

do you hear me

yeah, I hear ‘ya

TL

Romance

cardboard castles

and stuffed dragons

distressed maidens

and distant knights

the drawbridge up

the drawbridge down

the torches lit

the feast abounds

her hand in his

they dance

without a hint

of longing

chivalrous and demure

a gloved hand

a terse nod

years go by

they dance again

ungloved

without a breath

between them

TL

“Save It For A Rainy Day”

the video’s

like a postcard

sent to somebody

you love

you miss

such a simple lyric

basic and beautiful

and true

it’s like

I’m there

with you

and I can feel

the sun’s ray

wash over me

as it dips

into the blue, blue

sea

TL

T-Ball

took a time

out

beneath the blink

of “Friday Night Lights”

bleacher high

I watched them play

in that easy, wonderful way

before

the scoreboard goes up

and the Crayons put down

#3 is up to bat

and he’s swinging hard

‘bout knocked a kneecap out

ball ain’t even on the stand yet

and he’s whacking the L out of it

patient is the coach

who bends over and stands it back up

10 times

and quickly sticks the ball atop

for the 11^th whack

SMACK

“it’s outta here!”

TL

Weightless

there’s a lotta

t h i n g s

on my desk

and even though

I’ve cleared it

a time or two

it all comes back

somehow

things ‘ya can’t part with

no matter how

same with the car

front seat, back seat

console, glove

hatch

there’s a lotta that

and this

and the other

how many times

I’ve paused … to wonder

of the simple soul

that travels

near and far

unencumbered

TL

Biographies

suppose

I understand it

better now

the stories

all those stories

I had to read

I had to watch

all those stories

famous or not

dead or alive

a person’s life story

the book I have to read

the movie I have to watch

there is no choice

there never was

TL

Child of Circumstance

just read

his story

in the Times

saw his sad face

there

an orphan boy

left in Myanmar

he missed the boat

to Malaysia

the one that carried

his mother away

along with

his three brothers and sister

his mind understands

what his heart cannot

TL

Soundcheck

before the

seats are filled

to capacity

the cups and candy

what he’ll wear

out there

hat or no

which cologne

shaved or unshaved

boots or blades

in the details

the dust

cranks it up

perfect pitch

nobody but the band

the strings

the sticks

him at the mic

slow dancing

to “the taste

of strawberry wine …”

TL

Rachel Platten

Pandora streamed

your song

VEVO played

your video

Spotify plugged it

online

and radio went

round after round

and knocked it OUT

cold

TL

Inward Eye

on a highway

headed somewhere

out there

the world in a win

dow

and you see it

in a shutter

the mind frames

some images stay

with you

others fade

away

and it could be

breathtaking

but you missed it

‘cause your mind

hasn’t moved

past the first

frame

TL

These Days

their boy

has an arm

a MLB arm

and even when

they can’t agree

on the sun or the moon

or the stars

they agree

on that

their boy

has an arm

a MLB arm

TL

Little Things

took a hankie

outta the drawer

the one I never use

but love

‘cause there’s a cherry blossom

hand-stitched in the corner of it

and even though I never use it

I knew I’d need it

and when it was over

the careful folds were gone

soaked through and through

into a wet, wadded ball

we got in the car

and I was glad I decided to ride with her

over there

instead of going alone

like I’d planned

and after I got home

I realized I’d left the hankie in her car

along with my umbrella

the next day

I found a zip-lock with my umbrella and hankie in it

she’d washed it good as new

dried the tears

and folded it back in place

with the cherry blossom facing up

TL

“Peter Pan”

decked out

in nautical trunks

his goggles

suctioned to his head

this pint-size pirate

was unafraid

to walk the plank

he’d stand

at the edge

and clap his hands together

prayerlike

and raise them up

arrowed over his head

not out like Superman

once his form

was just right

he’d plop on in

and go

and do it

all over again

TL

“The Bell Still Rings”

driving along

and somehow

we got on

the subject of Santa

“has anyone ever seen Santa,

i mean has anyone ever seen him

put the presents under the tree …”

“I don’t know”

“do you think this year

i could maybe set up my ipad

to record … i just want to see him …”

“no, that’s illegal”

“why is it illegal”

“it just is”

“so, if nobody’s ever seen him put the presents under the tree …

then how do we know what he looks like …

how do we know he wears red and has a white beard …”

“well, in the olden days there must have been some sightings …

like Bigfoot … we wouldn’t know what Bigfoot looks like

if people hadn’t seen him; we wouldn’t know how hairy he is …”

“oh yeah, Bigfoot …”

“now, remember what I told you about Santa

and how when children reach a certain age,

he lets the parents take over for him so he can

share the magic of Christmas with all the little kids who need him …”

“what age do you think that will be for me, how old were you …”

“well, I think I was around 9 or 10 or so …”

“at school, somebody told Alex that Santa wasn’t real.

That’s all he talked about after that, and he asked me what i thought.

i told him, ‘duh, of course Santa’s real.’ Alex loves Santa as much as i do.”

“well, you know that some people don’t believe in Santa, and that’s ok.

We all have different beliefs. Some never believe, and some always will.

Teenagers and adults, sometimes, forget how it was with Santa when they were little.”

“i won’t forget …”

“I know. I know you won’t forget …”

TL

Thomas G

and he’s still

on the job

on a Wednesday

in 1983

not a Tuesday

2015

his men

have to be paid

they came in at 8:30

and left at 3:15

and he can’t get so and so

to understand

his men

have to be paid

on time

everything has to be

on time

he has a schedule

to keep

things work best

that way

tell so and so

his men

have to be paid

on time

TL

Watercolor

at first light

the stars fall

and rest on blades

winking like the sea

some cobblestone street

where shadows seep

like wet sand

and there’s always a bird

somewhere near

and some can’t sing

puffs of smoke

a stack, a stick, a saucer

people nicer

not quite awake

the dogs sniff

the cats stretch

somebody blows their nose

and spits

the water pours

and turns black

then brown

at the bottom

of a cup

you can still see the moon

in lingerie

if it rained the night before

the puddles will tell

and the pinecones will be drawn uptight

the spider can’t be found

her work a silver strand

the wind took

the building bare

an empty chair

switches on the wall

codes and passwords and logins

digits

seeds in the dirt

growing underneath

and somebody just

walked by

TL