poor penmanship
by eighth grade
the nuns were done
correcting the angle
of my misshapen letters

2nd time around 
the prayer labyrinth
I find comfort
in every repetition 
of the chickadee's song

another argument
about global warming
where the river 
once flooded
the mud turns into dust

now showing 'stan and ollie'

the slapstick routine

starts with a popcorn slide

and ends with a loud fall 

into my seat in the dark

24 hours of people
stranded at the airport
we've finally run out of stories
about where we've been
and where we're going

old neighborhood
the gaslight where
teens gathered
on summer nights
still there, still flickering

dinner with friends
at ari's greek restaurant
our laughter ignited
by the flames
of saganaki

a book about
organizing my life
returned to the library
I've paid enough dues
to buy it

static in the voice
of a landline phone
old farmstead
all my connections
are antiquated

after a fall
and an overturned chair
I suddenly don't care
if the picture
is crooked