snow
makes mockery of winter light:
that which was intended for warmth
and good settles upon the earth.
trees become bare skeletons,
taking on the form of ghosts.
blood scars these rocks,
sea foam moves and interlocks
the sand and stone where the notes of gulls slug
the sky and squawk along the quays and walks that
dub this land ‘Ethiopia.’
perseus sizes her up, but she doesn’t look.
past his eyes, she just names the mane of the horizon,
red ember, herb, madder.
out her red lips and to the sun, she simply sighs its sap.
4…5…6…7
memory
of those years
impressionistic snapshots
reactions at the synapses
between neurons
a small door briefly opened
not to be taken to court
their truths as certain
as roulette:
brother hitting brother
with a baseball bat
the plate flying against
the dinette wall
stoplight’s red thrown hard
into my dreams
a night-crawl for mommydaddy’s
bed where warm skin
helps the count of sheep
The lightning flashing,
thunder banging down
waking the children from
their sleep. The rain slaps
the old tin roof. The creek
rises nearing the top of
the bank. The oversaturated
yard begins to give way
collapsing into the creek.
The old pickup begins
floating to its new home.
The old chesnut tree topples
narrowly avoiding the house.
The basement door bursts
open, allowing the invasive
waters to destroy the various
junk stored inside.
Morning finally arrives
and the storm has rolled
away leaving a rainbow
and a calmness only
such forces can bring.
The air is clean, the
trees are bare, the birds
sing as they rebuild.
You’re sitting at home one afternoon in your favorite chair
Reading the sports section of your local newspaper,
Which is quite unusual,
Because you don’t follow sports.
Suddenly there’s a knock on the door.
You open the door to see a well-dressed young man
Who asks you if you have heard the Good News.
You answer, “No, but I was actually hoping for some bad news today.”
He gives you a blank stare, turns around and leaves without a word.
You close the door and return to your chair
Only to find your cat there, lying on top of your newspaper.
You start to pick him up, and he hisses at you,
So you gingerly slide the paper out from under him and walk over to the couch.
You sit down and resume reading your paper.
Before you get very far, there is another knock on the door.
You open it to find a well-dressed young lady
Who asks you if you really wanted some bad news.
You say that you did, but that she was too late.
You have already received the bad news you wanted.
She gives you a blank stare, turns around and leaves without a word.
Before you have a chance to close the door,
A tornado touches down and heads right for you.
You run downstairs to the basement
And curl up in the middle of the floor.
In about thirty seconds, your roof is blown off.
When the tornado passes, you carefully emerge from the basement
Only to find yourself in an open-air house with no roof.
Oddly enough, your cat is still in your chair, and the newspaper is still on the coffee table in front of the couch.
You realize you haven’t had lunch yet.
Isn’t this a good time to have a slice of delicious Beebopareebop rhubarb pie?
even though all my skin is dry,
it’s the hands that have it worst
by the end of the day they strain
against the tightness of invisible gloves
when I rub them together it makes
white noise like the sound inside a shell
when I study them in the light I see all the little lines made more obvious in their thirst
they look like tree bark, creek banks, snake skin,
fish scales, desert sands, bat wings, and cave walls
in my fingerprints, I see swirling storms as seen from space, whirlpools, and every kind of eye
when I lotion my hands I hug one with the other
in grateful prayer for the gift
of such lovely expansive togetherness
and my ability to perceive it
Darling,
nothing hurts me more than seeing your face.
I have to look away from your photographs
they’re the only nondusty ones on the shelf
your momma makes sure of that.
Darling,
I look after your momma like you asked me to
but most days all she can manage is a few mumbled words
she’s not here, I don’t think. I think she’s with you,
in old memories played on loop
I can hardly blame her.
I hope I never have to know what it’s like
to bury our child.
Family Snapshot
Want to play a game?
Are you ready?
Flying animal distractions
You know what to do!
This is the most important thing.
Bunny, Bunny, Bunny, Bunny
Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki
Clap Clap!
Tie the knot on the right
Tie the knot on the left
Protect – Defend – Lift it all up to God
Peace be unto you
the Pearl of great value
the Pear of great price
Treasures found in the field
Around a flaming fire
Hearts strangely warmed
This is the most important thing
Arachnids weaving
a silken dreamcatchers thread
shadow visions creep
Twisting webs capture
passing emotive insects
cocooned house flies squirm
Bleak structural strands
nightmarish filament scene
psychological
Analytical
archetypal spiders craft
Jungian photos
