Every month or so, Sundays, we walked the line,
The limit and the boundary. Past the sweet gum
Superb above the cabin, along the wall—
Stones gathered from the level field nearby
When first we cleared it. (Angry bumblebees
Stung the two mules. They kicked. Thirteen, I ran.)
And then the field: thread-leaf maple, deciduous
Magnolia, hybrid broom, and, further down,
In light shade, one Franklinia Alatamaha
In solstice bloom, all white, most graciously.
......
Grandma climbs a chair to yell at God for killing
her only husband whose only crime was forgetting
where he put things. Finally, God misplaced him. Everyone
in this house is a razor, a police radio, a bulging vein.
It's too late for any of us, Grandma says to the ceiling.
She believes we are chosen to be disgraced and perplexed.
She squints at anyone who treats her like a customer, including
the toilet mirror, and twists her mouth into a deadly scheme.
Late at night I run at the mirror until I disappear. The day is over
before it begins, Grandma says, jerking the shade down over
......
A truly special place
of safety, of security,
of love, nestled in
Grandma's lap she lay
warm and secure,
feeling love, contentment,
in Grandma's lap.
I’m a Covid child...
Recognize my smile...
You’ve never seen my face...
It’s been covered for a while...
My eyes dart left...
And then to the right...
My eyes are wide open...
And full of fright...
......
I am tired,
A life has expired
A person who I deeply admired.
The future that was selected
Came when I least expected.
I don't know what tonight will be,
Little did I know that she would be free.
The sound of a rattling diesel engine
did catch my attention - I knew that machine wasn't beeping.
......
Unrequited Love
Prophetic-some may say
Like mother like daughter
They both stray
From the earth to present homes
Where are you now?
Some may know
The seagulls call aong the
Lost coast while I long
To be guided home
......
What’s it like to have a grandpa…
To know from where you came…
He’ll teach you about your history…
Give you his family name…
He’ll teach you to seek cover…
When there’s a storm in the air…
He’ll help you understand…
That justice isn’t always fair…
......
I’m a Covid child...
Recognize my smile...
You’ve never seen my face...
It’s been covered for a while...
My eyes dart left...
And then to the right...
My eyes are wide open...
And full of fright...
......
Grandma finally left
the house today...
We were all very concerned
needless to say...
She had stayed in her room
for many years...
Ever since Elvis died
she had shed many tears...
......
I am tired,
A life has expired
A person who I deeply admired.
The future that was selected
Came when I least expected.
I don't know what tonight will be,
Little did I know that she would be free.
The sound of a rattling diesel engine
did catch my attention - I knew that machine wasn't beeping.
......