finding a silver lining
in the afternoon breeze
the bur oak
carries the only news
worth reading

near the sprawling hills
of the state capitol
108 dogs have spent their lives
in cages not much bigger
than a shoebox


http://www.missourifordogs.com/media/news/108-dogs-rescued-central-missouri-puppy-mill

breaking the spell
of another day
gone sour
the "remember me" trill
of an eastern towhee

something the afghans
might learn from
our gulf of mexico tragedy
the greatest treasures on earth
can't replace clean water

as a child I once
told a neighbor
I was allergic to life
worse than pollen
the swollen eyes
from reading today's news

letters sent to politicians
screened out
by mail sorters
and office assistants
I write them anyway

If I write enough letters, maybe a few postal employees and office assistants will keep their jobs.

after waiting an hour
for a page to load
"crash, dump"
my computer starts writing
its own memoirs

as if the bank
of one butterfly
had insufficient funds
another butterfly
joins the milkweed

cookies, potato chips and jam
what kind of shelter
can gaza residents build
with israel's grocery list
of approved ingredients

not everyone's
meant to be a swimmer
whatever dreams
the lawn chair had
pulled out of the pond