I believe
for no other reason
than knowing
what I know
that at one point
in the great expanse
a cataclysmic galactic
white hot flash
tore us apart
send us spinning
lost in the void
and it’s taken us this long
to find our way
to this rock
to struggle against
things that don’t matter
and finally be able
to look back up at the sky
toward the birth canal
of it all
wonder why
anyone has the audacity
to believe that
anything matters
than the moment happening
right now
I’ve been avoiding looking at what day it is
Worried you’re almost over,
I’ve never thought about my favorite time
But I think it’s you
Orange and pink sunsets,
A few cool nights
Sunny days that last forever
Lake water that makes you never want to dry off,
Ferris wheels and funnel cakes
Writing poetry on a picnic table
Hikes through the mountains,
And day long road trips
No deadlines, no jackets,
Only a few days of rain
Your morning breeze smells like hope,
And your grass is the perfect green
You’re my Mammaw’s middle name,
And I’d like to think this is why
Maybe one day I’ll pass that on,
Wildflowers bloom like crazy
Love is all around
The mourning doves sing your songs,
And the kids are all home from school
The windows down,
And ice cream that’s never tasted so good
Lunch on a patio,
And laughter fills the air
Pride fills the town,
And concerts boom loud
You are a work of art
That I never want to put down
Thank you for being you, June
What is poetry but
breath entering my body,
then exiting in exhale?
What I am but breath and
words on the page
capturing a moment I felt alive?
What is life
but a collection of
moments?
Every time it storms or rains
I have to find a way to prevent
water from finding its way
into my garage.
It’s a new problem.
Before, there was a tree,
a tree that created a natural
barrier, but also caused
destruction of my back
concrete patio with its roots.
I can’t decide which is worse
but I sure would love
to not have a damaged patio
or water in my garage.
Thinking about a solution
is as heavy as a tree or a flood.
KW
6/26/24
I
At the iced window
I exhale on frozen glass
the bluebird mobile
spins over your baby bed
empty of all as I am
II
The red bean bag chair
is where I would have nursed you
same as your brother
with breasts full of milk now dry
I keen with the winter wind
swift songs of voltage
for the vigilant to hear.
be still – hear the noise
beneath the white noise machine?
Crazy-making as silence.
the people behind me
strangers though deep in conversation
he explains his family lives in Brazil
interesting, though I won’t share more
except he mentioned they’re
“in the rainforest”
I once again accept the normalcy of my life
simply going to visit family
Tulsa via Chicago
I’ll be there for lunch
and I congratulate myself for choosing air travel
as I, for a short time, considered driving
a man is snoring nearby
I rarely sleep on planes
I never did mind that it rained
I figured the earth has her own sorrows she wishes to express
Pouring down in a torrent of pain and sadness
Just as any of the rest of us are allowed to do
A thunderous roar like a wolf howling, jaw cracking, the popping sound echoing into the ears forming a loud guttural scream
He’s 13 now
dyed his beautiful long blonde hair
black
and his fingernails
black
and this year in his Christmas stocking
more nail polish–purple eggplant, sapphire blue and black.
He prefers 5B drumsticks–
better for a larger than life sound,
will use 5A if he’s not just banging away loud loud loud.
He still likes to sleep over sometimes on the couch nearby
with a light on
lets me read him his 3 favorite storybooks:
The Story of Ping, Russell the Sheep, Amos and Boris
which is about the unlikely friendship of a whale and a mouse–
He says ok Mimi you can read to me if YOU want to…
still falling asleep before I finish–
the perfect time to kiss him lightly on the forehead.
ACT 1.
“OH, THIS IS YOU BEING VULNERABLE?
YEAH. THAT’S SCARY.”
I’M THE GUY WHO CAN’T WHISPER.
AND SHE’S THE GIRL WHO CAN’T WHISPER (AND DOESN’T SHUT UP).
TOGETHER, WE CAN’T WHISPER.
RESERVATIONS
HE DOESN’T GET ME. NOT ALL OF ME.
HE DOESN’T UNDERSTAND WHAT I GO THROUGH, BEING TREATED LIKE A WOMAN WHO DOESN’T SHUT UP.
