Tag: poetry

Poem 20150613

crow

most of the trail gave very little
in the way of wildlife

a single rabbit scurrying from
the cover of brush on one side
of the dirt track to the scrub
on the other side

why did the rabbit cross the road

no lizards, though the day was
overcast so maybe that’s way
and no roadrunners this time
darting through the low, dry plants

but then! the lake
low though it was
there was water enough for a
handful of sandpipers digging
in the mud

and the king of the small domain
the blue heron
too far to get a good picture
but so close in the lenses of
the binoculars

dipping into the shallow water
and rising up
a flash of silver in his beak
quickly swallowed
and then back to staring intently
in the muddy water
the reflection of hills
under his feet

Poem 20150611

crow

iced decaf americano

because no one makes
a regular cup of decaf coffee
not even in a coffee shop
not even in a shop
where the tables are tiny
and there are few seats

but the americano
tastes good
reminds me of real coffee
and it’s cold

even though the sky
is the color and texture of
soft lead weights
the ice is welcome

Poem 20150610

crow

maybe it’s the way i’m sitting
at work

i think

trying to rationalize away
the throbbing pain
in the back of my neck
the front of my head

it’s certainly not stress
since there’s little be stressed out
about
at work or home
and right now
(knock on wood–hear me, o
forest spirit, o dryad, dweller
bark and wood pulp)

or it could be
my obsessive checking of
the phone

or my sinuses
–my sini?–
but how does that account
for the neck

and what i want
is a cool dark room
and quiet
and maybe some music
but low enough
to think it’s the neighbors
playing something i like

Poem 20150608

crow

there’s something disturbing about
seeing the inside of a computer

or tablet after the shattered glass
has been lifted off and you

reveal the guts

mostly batteries, really
and you can recognize the fan

the tiny hard drive and the video
cable but so little else

tiny miracles laid bare
and still no clue as to what

burned out

Poem 20150607

crow

the throbbing in the back of my neck is where i expect the cool touch of your palm where i expect the slow gentle descent of your palm to slow the throbbing pain there brought on by not enough sleep too much caffeine not enough water being out in the sun being out in the fresh air even though the fresh air usually helps and my neck has a throbbing pulse all its own it seems separate from the rest of my circulatory system separate from my heart which beats out its own time its own timing and and i wait for the cool palm that will slow everyting down

Poem 20150606

crow

who hid the cloud
when the sun came out

it was here
just a second ago

keeping everything cool
and under a gray light

but now the shadows run
and shrink under our feet

and sweat runs down the
back of my neck

and the unrelenting blue
of the sky is like

a nightlight when
you’re trying to sleep