Estranged

morning prayers in the park

anole in bright green bush

steps out on fence rail turns brown

waits for breakfast to walk by

you answer the phone

“Hello” – anole freezes,

turns, scurries back into the bush,

disappears into green

belated happy birthday wishes

talk of life and poetry

he reads you a poem he found

dogeared in a book

among boxes of his sister’s papers

maybe he’ll find enough to publish

a posthumous selection of poems

or enough inspiration to write a memoir

you walk home, sit in the shade

wonder if your family will ever sift

through your debris pile

in search of your hiding place

5-19-25