Published poetry
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Raindrops after rain
“..raindrops after rain
have coalesced on the windchimes,
the fence, the hummingbird feeder,
like soft icicles on trees
in crystalline waiting,
like a thousand swords of Damocles…” -
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Red admiral
Black Horse Review, September 2024
"Luck requires sacredness
(which requires a nicer word, sacracy).
I’ve learned you must ask a butterfly to beat the clouds away
and nod to the crows when you see them..." -
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Nutmeg
“Hmmmm
Like the taste of tiki
with bone broth,
you linger falsely in
memories of dimly-lit
caverns…” -
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In betrayal of Pablo Neruda
Orca, A Literary Journal, Issue 15
“I read Pablo Neruda awestruck,
jaw dropped and glass shattered
at the bloody hibiscus thrusting,
the pulsing violent staking of claims…” -
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Desert verbena
Blood Tree Literature, Issue 14: RE:BUILD
“I like desert washes because
they have one place to go -
they show a clear path,
and I could follow them for hours
until I find the end I’m chasing…” -
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Citrus pleasure, pt. ii
Blood Tree Literature, Issue 14: RE:BUILD
“Encased in sun, in the middle of meditation,
my mouth waters for lemonade.
A breakthrough, maybe?
I notice myself breathing in…” -
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Wild grass
“We were told as children
that each blade of grass
has millions of microscopic
hooks
and that’s why it feels
itchy on our legs and backs…” -
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THE MOON
“You read online
after hours of aimless
staring at web pages
that Jupiter is the
closest it’s been in
fifty-nine years…” -
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Blue pansies
“I got home and
frantically flipped through
seed catalogs
desperate to find
you in nature…” -
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In the backyard
“Red wine and succulents,
impish thoughts, petulant,
a hot and wistful temperament –
my mind falls skyward
to you…” -
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Ancient philosopher
“I dreamt you called to say the world had
finally broken you down.
Fires, plagues, politics, and a family loss
were enough for you to decisively dial me
(but trip over your words)…” -
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You bought yourself pink carnations
“Pink carnations
say ‘be nice to yourself’
while you’re flooded with memories
of a complicated ex
who you hate to admit
has reignited your poetry…” -
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At Monet's water lilies
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Sunflower dreams
“He probably has an actual bed
(which is something anyone else would assume) –
but my visions take place on a mattress overflowing a frame,
low to the ground...” -
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The architecture of you
“I blinked and said my silent thanks to the stars
for giving you a receding hairline and bloodshot eyes:
subtle signs you weren’t actually perfect,
and I ate my dinner with you in more peace
than the very few texts it took to plan…” -
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Montana bluegrass
Closed Eye Open, Maya’s Micro’s Ed. 21
Cathexis Northwest Press, Sep-Oct 2023“Dream of me like Montana bluegass,
subtle and attuned to the breeze
around me…”
Poems in need of a home
(excerpts)
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Stamen
“…You’re fascinated by the stamen
with rust-brown pollen finally,
willingly on your fingertips -
But, with all your lip service,
how didn’t you know
what a lily was?” -
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Butterfly pea flower tea
“…I would have brought you
butterfly pea flower tea
and a homegrown lemon,
told you how a squeeze of citrus
brews a little magic,
could have made you smile one more time…” -
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Galaxial
“…I gleaned it as
the iridescent wing of some
distant butterfly’s flap,
I felt the ego death of curiosity:
unafraid to share my feelings;
at peace they couldn’t last…” -
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Hummingbird mama
“…Maybe the cashier saw the grief in my face
when, with a glance of cat litter
(and I would presume some appraisal),
she told me about her cat, who she loved,
who passed four years ago,
who she still tears up about,
and is doing so now…” -
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Dahlia
“At the county fair,
always hot dusty summer
golden hay-aired day
I walk into a room of dahlias…” -
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Prickly pear
"...ever more aware in battery fires and ninety-three degree mornings
just how flammable they are.
We remember the ash, and the video camera crackling
branches as horses were freed from the ranch..."
