Freedom
there are graves
buried at sea
long ago
there are graves
buried in the sky
where sparks fly
there are graves
buried in lands
where the blood runs
deep
there are graves
nobody sees
or ever finds
there are graves
in lines
way too many lines
over time
where do they end
there are graves
inside and outside
this country
marked by
an American Flag
waving in the wind
visible
or invisible
one does not
have to see it
to feel it
TL
Anna Mae
she left
her laughter
not her tears
TL
“Middle Distance”
in a room
of books
just off the side
walk
on a Sunday
sometime before
like an afterthought
they had picked up
all the Poetry
they had
and shoved it
to the back
far corner
wedged between
a rack of magnets
within the realm
of children’s books
near the barista
that talks
and the cashier
that talks
and the parents
that talk
there was jest
enough room
to stand
and reach
and it was there
in the middle of my life
that I first met
Stanley Plumly
TL
Temporary
it was
periwinkle
in color
appearing
like a blue day
I watched it
flicker
like a flame
and even then
I knew
TL
Easter Bunny
I name him
Jack
he appears
on the lawn
before the lights
come on
in the house
I never see
which direction
he comes from
he’s already there
and been there
a while
I watch him
out the window
as he munches
clover
it rained last night
so he has more on his table
he eats fast
he knows there’s a cat
that’ll be up soon
prowling about
he saw what he did
to the chipmunk
last week
and it wasn’t pretty
he eats faster
grab-and-go
is his motto
at least that little girl
ain’t chasing him
down
wonder where she went
he ain’t taking no chances
she used to sneak up on him
and try to catch him good
while his head was down
but the Robin
on the line
always warned him
before she got too close
his white tail
flashing
like a taillight
in the distance
he could hear her hollering
Come Back !
TL
the Christmas tree
is brittle brown
weighted in the rain
it lies there
dead
surrounded by a forest
in spring
five months ago
it was green
standing giant in the room
bare and beautiful
before the jewels
or crown
it was stunning
in its natural form
rooted in the ground
growing in its branches
lifting in layers
sturdy and strong
the wind within
rushing through
and out
dispersing drops
like twinkle lights
amid the tinsel of snow
and glittered frost
an ornament
in its hair
cardinal red
quietly resting
there
TL
Air Jordan
in 1 hour
and 52 minutes
the stars aligned
creating movie magic
in theatres across the country
where you forget where you are
and you let the story
take you back
in time
hitting the pavement
and knocking on doors
and losing sleep
and never wavering
from belief
the belief that one day
someday
a mother’s dreams
for her child
would be realized
worldwide
and she’d watch him
fly
as effortless as an Eagle
across the sky
TL
Papa Sherwood
it’s been dark
out the window
thunder and lightning
since your daughter
called
and said the word:
hospice
home hospice
had to get off the phone
thought we made a deal
you promised
what happened
you’re 7 years short
of the deal
now your house
is flooded
the garden’s under
water
the birdfeeder just floated by
blueberries are bubbling up everywhere
your rose bushes are all a mess
your American Flag is soaking wet
now your tractor’s gonna rust
and your Christmas lights are shorted out
your camera lens got busted
your Velcro shoes are somewhere at the bottom
where your desk is
all the battery back-ups won’t charge
the locks have lost their keys
the keys have lost their locks
the grill just fell over
the crank to the ice cream bucket’s
gone
your coffee cups are in pieces
your postage stamps and envelopes
won’t stick
all your clothes in the closet
are too heavy for the hangers
your mailbox is up river
in someone else’s yard
your thermostat is set to heater
your watches and trinkets and gadgets
are scattered about
there’s no wind in your windmill
or footprints in the soil
the phone is off the hook
the table lost its setting
all the dishes fell out the cabinets
pictures missing out the frame
there’s debris everywhere
your house is spinning
off its axis
in Kansas now
with the cows
somebody left the gate
open …
go on then
your Mama’s calling
see your son waving
he’s been waitin
go on then
there’s your Daddy
coming up
on the horse
it’s ok
you can walk now
don’t need the cane
look at Frannie go !
she’s missed you so
go on then
Granny’ll be ok
you left her
in good hands
go on then
TL
The Well Within
as a parent
your natural
instinct
is to protect
your child
it’s not something
that goes away
with time
you never want
to see them hurting
and yet you know they will
there will be times
when it will hurt
and you cannot change that
for all the drops in the ocean
their journey is theirs
alone
they must draw
from the well
within
when things get
hard
to comprehend
in a black and white world
you mustn’t forget
the gray
the varying shade
of gray
it’s up to you then
to paint
not what you see
around you
but what you see
within you
like what the wise fox whispered
soft
to The Little Prince
“and now here is my secret,
a very simple secret:
it is only with the heart
that one can see rightly;
what is essential is invisible
to the eye …”
TL
For My Father
the drive took
3 hours
and one day
24 hours
1,931 miles
from here
to there
that’s how far
you drove
that day
I wasn’t in the car
with you
but i was
right there beside you
the whole way
it rained the whole time
but you kept driving on
through the dark
getting closer to the city
the city of lights
you made it
and had to pull over
overcome
it was a lot
but you made it
through
starting over
at the bottom
when you lose
everything
that matters
it gives you
perspective
an internal perspective
on life
you saw those Vegas lights
on the darkest dark of nights
blurred in the rain
and woke up
in the sunlight
and the birds were still singing
your heart still beating
and i was there
with you
and i knew
you’d be ok
i needed you to be ok
so i could be ok
so i could see you again
someday
be there
to bury you
30 years to the day
and I know
you’re ok
when I wake up
in the sunlight
and the birds are still singing
my heart still beating
i know you’re ok
‘cause i’m ok
TL
Raining Crystals
used to spend
hours
on a dirt road
digging for quartz
crystal
it wasn’t paved
back then
but a cloud
of dust
a muddy mess
when it rained
hot on bare feet
in the blaze of summer
rock hard in the dead of winter
took so many walks
up and down
that dusty dead-end
never searching
for gold
‘cause there’s no prism
in a nugget
but if you hold a quartz
crystal
up to the light
there’s a rainbow
in your hands
i had a collection of color
something hopeful
in my pocket
since then my collection
has morphed
into Swarovski
anything with a sparkle
stops me
so when I saw this ginormous quartz
crystal
under a spotlight
incased in glass
I stood there
transfixed
my daughter noticed me
taking pictures
of it
and listened to me
ramble on
about how
i used to dig in the dirt for hours
looking for a cut of crystal
diamonds to me
and here was this enormous slab
that reminded me of that scene in Superman
the fortress of solitude
it was something to see
up close
but nothing quite
could prepare me
for the sight of it
in my house
full of rainbows
and light
the weight of it in my hands
on the day I turned 50
and all I could do was
cry
TL
Dessert Plate
the plate
was empty
void of art
or color
design
circular in nature
a plain
marshmallow white
it sat on a shelf
waiting
not knowing
for what
until a small hand
reached up
and lifted it
out
suddenly the plate
was full
it had color
and design
art
it had never
felt
like this
before
and even after
being scraped
and submerged
and scrubbed
clean
and put back
on a shelf
the plate
was no longer
plain
or empty
as it were
for it had
served
its purpose
TL
Eminem’s Jade
she is
the best
thing
that ever
happened
to him
she helped
heal him
just by her being
just to be here
in this moment
in time
amid the roses
and the melody
they’ll dance
the daddy-daughter
dance
TL
i know …
what it’s like
to be home
less
over and over and over
again
i know
what it’s like
to be hungry
over and over and over
again
i know
what it’s like
to be afraid
over and over and over
again
i know
what it’s like
to be burned
over and over and over
again
i know
i’m not a l o n e
people survive
their circumstances
or they don’t
they go on
or they go
away
what could be
worse
than suicide
to think there’s
nothing
to live for
no more
too many
have left
not strong
enough
to face
the night
or the day
but what’s worse
than that
is taking
not only your life
but the life of
others
innocent others
who never stood
a chance
they walk in
with guns blazing
with the intent to kill
not only themselves
but anyone and everyone
in sight
they hole up in their
houses
with the intent to kill
not only themselves
but their spouse
their very children
anybody in the house
they get behind the wheel
with the intent to kill
not only themselves
but whoever’s in the car
with ‘em
they take the pills and drink the poison
with the intent to kill
not only themselves
but whoever’s around ‘em
they offer it up or force it down
they walk around free
and clear
getting away
with murder
with rape
with the intent to harm
another
physically
mentally
emotionally
but a body’s soul
belongs to but
no one
the soul cannot
be killed
this
i know
TL
Behind the Curtain
Roberta Flack
still plays
on her green piano
“Will You Still Love Me
Tomorrow …”
her undeniable voice
echoes through time
and space
like the mist
over water
leaving its veil
“The First Time
Ever I Saw
Your Face …”
TL
The Wind
it once was
a beautiful
vessel
carefully crafted
in glass
fired by breath
in ember
it would hold
a waterfall
where a white rose
still enclosed
would sip
there was no warning
when the storm hit
the wind so full of force
knocked the vase
to the floor
where it shattered
into stars
marking the night
the waterfall
crept away
in waves
leaving the stem
unformed
the rose had lost
the sun
and the moon
and all the stars
all at once
the storm had
dug into the dirt
and made a hole
and covered it
up
‘til there was no trace
no scent
nothing
so much of nothing
even the rose
herself
forgot …
so she slept
beneath the dirt
as the seasons
came and went
not knowing
that even in the dark
she was still alive
still forming
there was no warning
when the storm hit
the wind so full of force
dug into the dirt
down deep into the dark
and lifted the rose
up
and they danced
away
far away
from the forgotten place
where time had stopped
ticking
the wind laid the rose
in a garden
and wept over her
‘til she adjusted
to the light
the rose had changed
now fully formed
it had been growing
in layers
in the darkness of nothing
and that night
the earth moved
and time resumed its
ticking
the rose saw the stars
shattered in the night sky
so far away
from where she was
and it was like seeing them
for the first time
and the moon
appeared
with its full face
shining
like a ray on the rose
and after long reflection
she saw herself
again
remembering how roses
bloom
and in that moment
there in the garden
in the season of the sun
she knew no
death
TL
“Love, Pamela”
she’s a Fighter
she’s a Dreamer
she’s a Mother
she’s a Child
she’s a Lion
a Lioness
that won’t be
ever be
tamed
TL
Serendipity
Saturday
morning
was back
in town
the one I didn’t
grow up in
but grew up in
driving the interstate
from exit to exit
in the pouring rain
seeing my stories
for the first time
on the front page
of a newspaper
that somebody somewhere
would read
with their cup of coffee
right away the lady editor
sent me out the door
with directions to a house
in some neighborhood
I’d never been before
where a painter lived
a painter of roses
back then I couldn’t afford
her exquisite works of art
but her perfect petals
graced the front page
in color
and I’ll never forget it
and how I hoped
she would like the story
she called
and I felt like
I had won something
you can’t buy
I hadn’t been back in town
since 2003
after the internship ended
20 years ago
and as I was leaving town
floats went by
and as I sat there watching
this small town parade
go by
I smiled and thought
how much this would have touched
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
that a small town in Georgia
would never forget
TL
“You Gave Me A Mountain”
there’s not
a song
he could sing
to her
not a single note
could soothe
her
no melodic melody
or soft lullaby
could lift this
hurt
off her chest
she will live with it
the weight of it
for all of her days
and nights
the silent suffering
of going on …
knowing she will never
ever see
or hold
or kiss
her precious baby
again
not in this life
but the feeling
remains
the longing of it
never leaves
this is the part
of love
that you learn
after the leaving
takes hold
no matter what they say
there’s no such thing as
letting go
(For Priscilla Presley)
TL
In the Book
I stare
at a blank
page
‘til it blurs
and burns
waiting
for the feeling
to fade
but it just stays
in the creases
quiet in the silence
dark in the corner
touched in the dust
that’s always there
like a shadow on the wall
that appears
and disappears
moving like the seasons
like a memory in the mind
too much at once
then not enough
not nearly
why can’t I find
closure
maybe there’s no such thing
maybe it’s on the faces
of us all
hidden behind the Hi
unnoticed in the Bye
TL