Small Favors
her home
was where
she took
her makeup off
where she could sit
without a smile
and sip a glass of red
and light her cigarette
without feeling
like an ash
where she could lift
a book and lay it down
be busy
doing nothing
and feel like
it was something
TL
Fireworks
What to wear
with that
little black dress
Of night
Maybe some
shimmering drop diamonds
that cascade off the lobes like waterfalls
Maybe some
bracelets encrusted with
rubies, sapphires and emeralds
Maybe some
rings encircled in silver
or high-polished gold
Maybe a crown
a Tiffany tiara
like the one
Audrey wore
Hard to choose
but one
They all make
the dress
POP
TL
Single Rose
With her walker
She made it
Down the ramp
Around the potted plant
To the chair
Across from me
“I used to shop in here
All day …
Now I have to
Take a little rest”
I smiled and told
Her a lie,
“I understand”
She said
she was 85
She told me
It’s been three years
Since her husband died of a stroke
he was 91
She said she tries
To get out
And not sit at home all day
That there’s only
So much TV she can take
She said her and her younger sister
Used to shop all day long
And have the best of times
Her sister’s dead now
She talked about her grown kids
How proud she is of her law-enforcement-son
How much she misses her daughter …
The one who died of a stroke at 43
“We were on the phone, and she said,
‘Mama, my face feels funny – can’t feel it.’ ”
Later
She showed me a cross on a chain
That she bought before she sat down
Made out of Mother of Pearl
“It reminded me of my mother.
She loved Mother of Pearl.”
When we parted ways
I felt
I had aged
TL
Circle
Somewhere
There’s no
Green grass
Or turn
Leaf tree
Somewhere
Nobody cares
What happens
In the world
Outside their
Door
Somewhere
She’s taking
Off her clothes
For cash
Somewhere
Somebody got
Shot
For gold
Somewhere
A kid
Becomes an
Addict
Somewhere
A child
Is taken
And never
Returned
Somewhere
People are hungry
For food
Others for their
Very soul
Somewhere
A woman
Is weeping
On the ground
Somewhere
A man
Is so miserable
He shoots at strangers
Then himself
Somewhere
A teenage girl
Gives birth
To a baby she’ll
Never know
Somewhere
A man
Can’t find work
To feed his family
Or his pride
Somewhere
A child
Is crying
In a corner
Somewhere
People are stuck
In circumstances
Beyond their control
Somewhere
Could be
Anywhere
And anywhere
Could be
Right here
TL
TIGER
Crowd goes wild
For the win
Cheers go round
From town to town
He’s a winner
S-C-O-R-E-CAT-S-C-O-R-E
Hear him ROAR!
Trophies galore
Ticket, Ticket,
Here’s my Ticket
Front row center
Click, Click, Click
Got to get a shot
Got to get a scribble
Got to get a shake
First in line
For the sign
What a day
What a year
What a gift
Read it, Watch it, Tape it
Bought the gear
As if he’s here
Time goes by
Bigger, Better, BEST
Pledge forever
Tail that STAR
Watch how far
Outshines ‘em all
World renown
then
he’s
down
Look around
Where’d they go
That faithful flock
That loved him so
They’ve gone
And left him
On the line
how dare he
disappoint my boy
how dare he
upset my ladies
how dare he
disgrace The Game
that perfect game
let’s go home
and lick our wounds
and forget how GREAT he was …
how GREAT he still is
TL
Friends
there are people
out there
who think
they have friends
they really do
but haven’t a clue
a friend is not
a perfect present
that you unwrap at whim
feeling fuzzy and fake
don’t make that mistake
for friendship
is not a layered cake
that you cut into
and take and take
and expect to
crown it with a candle
and sing a jolly jingle
what a wasted wish
being real
is no party
it’s a 3 a.m. call
from jail
it’s a cut wrist
or a single shot
it’s the “worst-case scenario”
played out
it’s a mess
like oil in the ocean
it’s an arrow apology
that fell short of the board
it’s a drunk fist
a verbal assault
it’s the deepest disappointment
the saddest song
it’s a collision of wills
that never faults the driver
it’s a coward
that hides until it’s “all clear”
it’s a field of flowers
following the wind
it’s everything wrong
with the world
it’s a broken bottle
you stepped on
it’s static
on a dead line
it’s Hell
when it hurts
but the worst
is not feeling
so, remember my friend
keep the cake
forget the present
don’t waste the wish
be willing to die a little inside
or you’re already dead
TL
“Haves and Have Nots”
Would all your
Worldly possessions
Fit in folded fabric
Tied at the end
Of a stick
Would your feet
Meet the road
With a rubber sole
Or be branded
In the kiln of the sun
Would you carry
A jug of cool drink
And gulp it
Fast as a faucet
Or would you cry
Just to taste
The salt of a tear
Would you have
Any food
Enough for three squares
Or would you
Scratch and scrape
For a single berry
Way out of reach
Would you have
A friend
That would put you up
Or would you
Look for a bridge
To cover you
Would you have
Paper in the bank
Or a hole in your pocket
Where a penny fell
Like a gull in the Gulf
Would you have
Any family to call
Or would they be
Dead to you
Boxed one way
Or the other
Would you have
Any hope
Or would you not
Even know
What that is
TL
Happy in a Bottle
Clouds in the water
Soapy and clean
Nothing seems bad
As you breathe in the steam
Dollops of cream
Light as a breeze
Submerged in suds
A symphony of sound
When the cup gets cold
Let the kettle roll
Takes the chill off
For a spot
Then down the drain
The bitter brew
Back to the ground
And things to do
TL
Happy Father’s Day
Not all Dads
Are the same
The lucky ones
Get to come home
To their children
Each night
And kiss and hug ‘em tight
The sacrificing ones
Who are fighting far away
Carry a picture in their mind
Of the children they left behind
The I-wish-I-could-go-back-in-time-ones
Are sitting in a cell somewhere
Waiting for a buzzer to ring
To signal an open door
So they can walk
Down a row of windows
Until they find the faces
Of their children
Waiting there
The every-other-weekend-ones
Try to make the most of time
And give their children what they want
Instead of what they need
The step-dad-ones
Walk a fine line
To be firm but fair
With the children left
In their considerable care
The absentee-ones
Who never looked back
Who hardened their hearts
And lived for themselves
Have children out there
Who will carry the pain …
“Wasn’t I worth something to you”
The feel-sorry-for-ones
Have their children right there
In front of them
Yet walk on by without a word
No “I love you”
No “I’m proud of you”
No “I want us to spend some time together…”
The slow-footed-ones
Have nothing but time
So they don’t mind waiting awhile
For the phone to ring
Or the door to swing open
To greet grown children,
Grandchildren and all the Greats
The about-to-be-ones
Scared out of their minds
For the first time
They pace the floor
And hold their breath
“Will I be good enough …”
The letting-go-ones
Lay their babies
On a doorstep
And walk away
Hoping for a better life
For the children they’ll
Never know
And the underground-ones
Live on
in the heartbeat of their children,
Grandchildren and great-grandchildren
May the memories be good ones
Until they meet again
TL
Rain Falls
Meant to call
And ask you out
To lunch
Sometime
Wouldn’t matter
Where we went
Not about the food
Just thought a lot of you
Could have talked
For miles
And even if
We didn’t say a thing
Would have been something
To sit beside you for awhile
Under a big blue sky
Watching the wind
Ruffle the feathers
Of a tall tree
But it’s too late
To call
You now
The flags will fly
At half a cup
From sun up
To sun down
And folks will come
From all around
To bid farewell
And I’ll be sitting
Somewhere
Under a big blue sky
Watching the wind
Ruffle the feathers
Of a tall tree
TL
Best Friends
She just
Wanted him in the water
She just did
But his four legs
Wouldn’t budge
He knew a bath well
And didn’t like the smell
She tried to tell him
It wasn’t about a bath
That all she wanted
Was a little company
In her plastic pool
But he wouldn’t have it
And sat down on the job
In a tug-of-war
They pulled and pleaded
No end in sight
After awhile
Grandparents gave in
And let her have her way
Proud as a princess she sat
On her plastic throne in her plastic pool
With her dog at her feet
Her hand tight around his harness
There was no getting away
As she began to pet him
He didn’t seem to mind being confined
As she began to talk sweet to him
He nudged closer to hear
As she leaned down and hugged his neck
He realized this water thing
Wasn’t so bad after all
In fact he rather enjoyed
Being loved by this wild child
And so he stayed in that plastic pool
Long after she left
Waiting for her
To come back
And love him
Once more
TL
Summer Days
Green again
After so much gray
Trees are showing off
Their leaves
Rose bushes are
All ablush
Something good
Is growing in the garden
Watermelons are grinning wide
As cannons of black seeds fly by
Tomatoes are turning toward the sun
Ripe before my eyes
Lift my cup up high
To catch some sudden rain
Underneath the shelter
Of an old Magnolia
Drink in the day
TL
Center
Happened upon
A wild waterfall
Running tiny
Through the forest
Sat for a spell
To hear it swim
Down the stream
My worry went
Like a yellow leaf
Sailing without a sound
TL
Waiting
Life is about waiting
Waiting for what …
Up
To grow
To grow
Down
Waiting for …
The light to turn green
The water to turn hot
A moment to turn real
A small dream to turn big
The person you are, really, to turn up
Waiting for …
Your life to begin
Your life to end
And in-between all that
You’re waiting for wisdom
For a grain of sand
To understand yourself
To understand others
To understand why
Life is about waiting
To grow up
To grow old
To grow your soul
TL
American
Old Glory
Ever winking
In the wind
Colors kept
And carried on
From childhood
And beyond
Blood red
Pure white
Regal blue
To die
To protect
To pledge
So many have
So many will
That me and mine
And you and yours
And they and theirs
May rest tonight
In peaceful slumber
And get to do
The same
Tomorrow
TL
Down the Road
There’s a white-washed,
Wooden cross
On the side of the road
A marker of loss
Symbol of sorrow
After awhile it becomes
Part of the landscape
But not for the people
Who planted it there
For them
It will always be
A foreign flower
That was never meant
To bloom
On the side of the road
TL
Day Away
Some blue beyond
Without a drift
Or recollection
Of the wind
No drop of rain
Or ray of light
Always day
Always night
A pool of sky
Floating by
No need
No want
No care
Just there
Without a watch
Without a wrist
For time
Never ticks
There’s nowhere
To go
Nothing to be
No days, weeks, months or years
No spring, summer, fall or winter
No joy
Or pain
What remains
Did “I love you”
Count
Or was it just
Something to say
More than that …
Is where I’m at
TL
Forever
And then you’re dead
As if you were never there
At all
And all the stuff you had to have
Winds up in thrifty hands
That beloved book you read a thousand times
May never see the light of day
The small garden
Gone
If you have children
They go on
Without you
If you have a better half
They find another half
So when I hear, “Forever”
I just shake my head
And think …
Pictures change
“Forever” merely means
A frame
TL
Daddy’s Girl
What’s he to do
But stand
Where he’s stood
Waiting in the wings
Case she needs a hand
With the laces
Think she’s got it now
Watch her run
Back to him
The care
He took
Wasn’t lost
It swam with exotic fish
It hopped free
In a carpet-chewing field
It moved aside to let
An old dog by
It made room for
A new breed
It was tested
In the “absolutely not” cat
Kept
It was in the packet of seeds
Ever growing in the breeze
It was in the every day
Constant way
He loved her mother
It was in the no matter
what, when or where
He’d make it right
It was in the gentle nature
That needed no voice
To hear it
It was in the prayerful way
He went about the day
No it wasn’t lost
The care he took
For in her daddy’s eyes
She can see
All he ever wanted
Her to be
TL
Ago
Across the table
She looks
At the lady
Staring back
At her
In careful conversation
They talk about that dress
They saw and the shoes
They had to have
They laugh about the
Gum they stepped in
The time the washing machine
Flooded the floor
That Thanksgiving turkey
Burnt beyond crispy
As she studies the menu
She studies her
And wonders if she’s doing okay
As she turns the page
And taps the table
In a flurry of pink polish
She longs to hold her hand
10 fingers, 10 toes
What she wouldn’t give …
To sing her to sleep
Once more
And hear her breathe
Good dreams
To wake her up
With a morning kiss
And hear her say,
In that sleepy wonderful way,
“I love you,
Mommy”
As the waiter scribbles
Their leafy order
They toast
The day
Then take turns
To the powder room
Never knowing …
The mirror was the same
The tissue in the trash
Held twin tears
They return
To the table
And smile
TL