Which things when found

Which things when found

Belong 

To the wider world

In museums

Or beyond

Which things bear

Too much beauty

For one

Stones

 A dream

 

Three white stones

Sun-bleached

In a row

In the midst

Of brown sand desert

No wind

They have been there

Forever

A sign 

Of regular visitation

Even 

In this most barren 

Of places

More of the whole

Find the parts

That go together 

Meditate on

A particular title 

So others

May understand

More of the whole

Continue on themselves

When the book

Ends

Neighborhood

A beautiful day

So many things 

To think about

To plan

To walk around the block

See what is still there 

After the last walk

So many rhings

Will call to me

After yesterday

 

Justice

How could I not

Pay tribute today

In my small way

To you

In your mighty way

Lace collars

So we always knew

You were a lady

The best

Of the Supremes

How could I not

Pay tribute

For what you have done

For what

You have 

Left behind

How could I not

Pay tribute today

In my smaller way

The goldfish

Every grade school

Back then

Had a fair

With goldfish

As prizes

My kindest neighbor

Kept a grade school fish

Alive

For years

She is the one we asked

To care for our pets

When we

Were on vacation

Edgers

Everywhere I went today

Lawn people

Were edging

We do not pay them

To edge

Loudly

At 7 AM

I left the therapist

To edgers

Loud

Edgers 

Before we had

Lawn people

We never edged 

At all

Vet

The cat

Has not been 

To the vet

Since she was a kitten

She remembers

The vet

Now she knows

Every place to hide

In the house.

She's no fool

She knows 

What it means

When we close 

Every door

She sees the pictures

Of rhe cat

And the rabbit

On the special box

We hope

This will be

Less traumatic

For her

Summer Jobs

 I have been

A Foto Foto Fun Fun girl

In an orange and yellow

Short polyester dress

Rode my bicycle

To work

In different grocery stores

I was a Foto Foto Fun Fun

Floater

One summer I was

An Icee bear

A broken fan

In the head

Get the picture

White fake fur

Ninety five degrees 

I was grateful

For camp counseling

No polyester

No fake fur

Only mosquitoes

I write short

I write short.

Don't worry

He said

We can always

Pare things down

Don't worry

I said

That has never

Been my issue

Never been

My issue 

I usually have to work

To say more

Like here

 

Lizard

Oh, I have preached

Many times

But this will be 

My second time

Reading poetry

Out loud

And in person

I have six minutes

To fill

On Zoom

On Wednesday night

From Kansas City

From Flying Ketchup Press

This is a different creature

Maybe a lizard

I think

Prickle

Porcupines are mostly 

Solitary creatures

It's not too difficult

To tell why

Still

When they do 

Gather together

They are called

A prickle

Again

It's nor too difficult

To tell why.

Owls

Do owls recognize 

Each other

As owls 

Or only another bird

Great horned

Barn

Snowy

Screech

Sawwhet

Are they competitors

Family

Or different breeds

Entirely

Are we the ones

Who make the distinction

What about them

Do they hang out

Together