the struggling banana plant
moved outdoors
all hopes
for recovery stem
from a single, green leaf

while remembering those
who have fallen in times of war
let us not forget
those who have fallen
in the name of peace

http://www.freegaza.org/
http://tinyurl.com/23d6oeq
http://tinyurl.com/26dtj4f

in the twilight when everything
is more or less gray
the ambiguous field
of horses nuzzling
each other in the fog

free admission
to the pond
this memorial day weekend
the deep notes
of bullfrogs

as though
it remembered
how the last wave felt
the lean of a boat
against the beach

rain briefly stopping
the flow of heat
one leg of the rainbow
arches over
the firehouse

from an era
when it was harder
to cover up your mistakes
letters tattooed
on the cylinder*
of an old smith-corona

*also referred to as a platen

a few feet away
from the mole's burrow
an earthworm
trying to find its way
back into the soil

twa memorabilia
a replica
of an L-1011
casts its shadow
across the globe

the exercise bike
taken out of storage
just resting in the garage
the spokes from the carriage
of a daddy-long-legs

half of the old highway 30
river bridge gone
the remaining span
no longer connected
to the people it once served

before the next rain
changes into summer
three bowls
of blackberry cobbler
wait for the family's return

helping us
to lessen
our carbon footprint
the lights turned off
to watch fireflies

in the poultry section
at the grocery store
a free range chicken
still wearing its
"treated humanely" sticker

something gained
in translation
on lonely nights
when the barred owl
gives the moon its voice

amongst the pamphlets
neatly stacked
on a library table
the clean edges of bookmarks
no one has used

a matchless fire
of yellow and orange
the sulphur-shelf mushroom
refuses to
conceal itself



*also called the chicken mushroom or chicken-of-the- woods. 

an old city

posing for its portrait

the sunrise

etched into windows

and church spires

the homeless town of hopeville
to be demolished
outside the railroad tunnel
an eviction notice held
with a stone against the wind


http://tinyurl.com/247nz8z

no right words
to tell survivors
of an airplane crash
that other family members
have perished

spring clipped away
as though it were fall
nothing seems to slow
the loss of green
in the leaf scorched maple

in the distance of a day
there's not a word
between the sounds
of one door opening
and another one closing

for over 60 years
the gardenway motel
its neon sign
still taking in
weary travelers

eye surgery scheduled
the day after

mother's day

she says the fire pinks
are her favorite flower

each tv sporting
a different program
at pat's bar and grill
the menu
rarely changes

unchecked fields
of clover
their reach extending
well beyond the nails
of a worn out fence

we arrive at a place
where a town once stood
the river moving so fast
only thunder
could follow it

over oil infested waters
a seagull
risks its own life
to eat a fish
that's already died

walking miles and miles
to find the right stone
the clovis people
made spears like they were
making fine jewelry

saving electricity
during a power outage
the static of the hand cranked radio
worse than tuning in
to rush limbaugh

all night on edge
in the quiet
that precedes
another round
of violent weather

when tree branches spin
like the arms of a ceiling fan
it takes 13 seconds
to run from our kitchen
to the basement