To the wilderness you were born; To the wilderness you shall return. Opening eyes you saw not light, nor shadow, But the blossoming intricacy of a trunk Bifurcating into branch, then twig, even that The home to some creature small and great. What you first heard was not a mama’s hush But the whisperings of […]

At the symphony I feel young. White-haired ladies and gents Advanced enough almost to admire My brazenly antiquated appellation, Tap and nod and drum and tap To the beat of these old familiars. “I don’t remember this part,” A wife frowns to her husband, And I imagine them in 1940 At the premiere of this […]

The antique carousel spins To the beat of one waltz, Or another: DUM, dum, dum. The children (ramrod straight) steal Peeks at the ponies painted Like clowns that grimace with The pain of vanished pleasure. We wave at the littles; we are Proud, though we know not why. They appear relieved to see us. Is […]

Phantom pain is real, the doctors say. Watch her wince, watch him tremble. See the limbs, where they end, where He begins, where she leaves off. He drums fingers on the table, she Sets her mouth straight and hard. He narrows eyes, she sighs and sighs. Nurse, take their pulse. Note: He is her phantom; […]

At the tired little market In my sleepy little town The checkout man scans my items. “I like peaches,” he comments, As he drops mine hard into a sack. (Tomorrow they’ll be bruised.) His hands shake, his cheeks glow, Reddened not by sun but scotch. The checkout lady sags with age And poverty. In her […]