A whisper mere rustle of wind oran exhalation-howcan it haveconsciousness yetjust below the threshold ofhuman perception it voicedthoughtvibrations, which her violin resonated with-disquieting,leaving her wondering who was out there, invisible but present or prescientperhaps decedent? “Dad?” her father an immigrant peasanthis passion for musicgifted to her- Dead Silenceshe sighs, picks up her bow andon... Continue Reading →
drizzle of polka dotsnot dapple colored but tricklinga polish polka as they blithely dropyet why such merrimentin fallingto their death-their tiny time much better spentjoyfully dancing, not mourning wetlytearyuntil they hit the groundso hard and dryto splash and die Read More in Poetry
Never quiet, the graves back home,Mom prodding Pop in their bed, “You’re snoring!”Grandma exclaiming to Grandpa for the millionth time,“Smoking that pipe will kill you someday,” and Great-grandpa in Czech-laced exasperation remindingbullheaded Great-grandma to “Talk American!”Ear protection is desirable, given Cousin Benny’sraunchy jokes, Uncle Emmanuel’s swearing aboutsome poker hand dealt him, and garrulousUncle Henry’s bending... Continue Reading →
Dragged here by my friend,I see nothing poetic. I hear nothing poetic.Just crack and zing and boom.Crack and zing and boom.In the booth next to us,a big guy shoots an AK-47.In my hands, I hold a rifle.I sit atop a stool. The same thumbthat rests on the stocksupports the shaft of a pencil. The same... Continue Reading →
When you finally buy limes and seltzerfor your gin.When evening air still ripples, coolas a silk scarf against your neck.When you smile, hearing the first slap of flip flops on cement.When no one can keep up with nature,when mosquitos invade the airbefore anyone expects them.When the first hummingbird dive-bombs with his tiny spear. Read More... Continue Reading →
“…thrown on a treadmill of unease, hour after hour of tossing and turninguntil I was weeping for rest.”Derek Jarman in MODERN NATURECountless grays smother the night.I slip into anxious dream, slip halfway out, teeter,grudgingly open a book, aimingat distraction. The green lamp is angledto a pool of boiled yellow.I ignore time or try, dismiss the... Continue Reading →
News: High School Shooting Claims Twelve 1. (at 24) We’re sitting on the steps in the dark watching the storm come and the wind gusts and the cool air touches my skin and it smells of water and the tree leaves on the big oak ripple like green waves and the undersides of the clouds flash... Continue Reading →
Linda’s first mistake was getting lost inside an IKEA. Her second was thinking she could run. The Swedish meatballs she had eaten hours before made her sluggish and easy to track through the aisles as the fluorescent lighting shone down like a searchlight. Her footsteps rang out on the cold laminate as she passed through... Continue Reading →
When the first truck hit Nevin’s dog, the howls echoed off the brick walls of First United Methodist Church. It was in March in the East End where snow piled on the corners higher than the first story of our house. The depth of ice on the lake measured in feet. Coal soot sat on... Continue Reading →
Because I dream of flying, I ask my father for wings. He believes only sons should fly above the earth. At first, I turn angry at this lack of value awarded to daughters. Don’t I deserve the same rights as my three brothers? When offered wings, my smartest brother refuses them. He says, “Had we... Continue Reading →
