Maybe the deep southof California and Arizonahas it right.Where cars chewon gas and congestionmuch the same wayour guts do.These are our anxiouscities and regionswhere lipstick cakesstain the sidewalkswith traces of fat and poppy seeds,and women walk with fat pursesmade for self-defense.Where the sidewalksglisten with tinsel,and heat risersthat lift dressespast ankles and pumpsand macrame thigh highs.Where... Continue Reading →
I hear him howlingall through the nightwhy does he howl?is he hungry?does he find himselfalonefinally too tired to searchfor food?are these nights too frozeneven for him?January has two facesthe dark-haired boywith piercing eyesI am my rebel sonthe bearded manwith silver strandswhose eyes still shinesometimesI am my venerable fathertwo heads crowneach one of usthe young give... Continue Reading →
The resolve to live in the woods with only the two dogs for company had been building unexamined a long time. He had picked up the germ of the idea when a boy. Back then, he had come to look at trees as the principal emblem of a hokey folk mythology
Her first experience was a penetrating itch. This sensation was layered on top of blistering pain shooting from her right head into her eye. It was not the kind of feeling diminished by vigorous scratching, as is the case following a bug bite. Hers was a jaw-clenching urgency to...
about this piece Down for the Winter2024 See More in Art...
After months of rumors, Mayfair Mutual received word they’d been acquired. Disillusioned by long hours and disappointing commissions, new hires took the news in stride, blasting out resumes and hooking up with recruiters. Carrie Winters had been thinking of quitting and returning to catering. Older employees like Ted Matthews were downcast, facing
about this piece Chilly Pinecone2024Digital Photography See More in Art...
Considerthat the groundhogdeserves not to be blamedwhen it burrowed for survivalupon winter’s arrival.Spring bringsa new season of possibility.Time for him to climbfrom his cold, black holeto let go of hibernating.You, too, are deserving.Shake off the dust of isolation.Eat sweet strawberries, with juice dripping down your chin.Reach toward the sun, like the grass.Join in the gathering... Continue Reading →
Read to your daughterfrom the book of counted kisses,one poem for each pink-pebble toe,soft lips on the knucklesof clenched baby fists.Lips pressed, closed tightagainst raging fevers,against tearstained cheeks,against goldfish funerals.Remember the early chapterswhen kisses were new,yourself against a chill mirror,the clammy back of your hand,the cotton give of a pillow.The gifts of young lovesurprising the... Continue Reading →
She buries herselfin clay,silted bed.Cold, predatorsthreaten her dormantbody. She hoversin the Earth’s waterypocket. Fellow preyaggregate in shelves.Vigilant, she regardslight through the icelid, sequesters wastein shell and bone. She learnsto breathe outsidethe lungs, slow. Gasbubbles bloat her mouthand throat. By spring, a debtof oxygen to be paid. Read More in Poetry
