Category: childhood
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Mother’s knit doilies
She used to knit doilies for living room end tables, to place under lamps and African violets, protecting wood finish or place upon arms and backs of chairs, keeping furniture fabric free of oil from skin and hair. Her mother did the same with well worn sticks, twirling stitches, replicating forms over and over. I…
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on the day after the anniversary of the 1000-year flood
sitting in the chill he wears a jacket over his shirt sweat pants, socks with shoes believes he wears bare essentials but under it all a naked chest, flaccid penis bare feet that wish to run like the wind beneath and above the he of him, treads memories flooding streets outside his door toddler in…
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a walk at dusk
yellow rose western sky in the East Aegean blue long shadow walk I heard the day before an old friend’s wife transitioned her name was Rose blue sky morning transitions to rain 9-28-20 (for my childhood friend, Chuck Shannon)
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for Duane
What ever happened to the boy in school With pop bottle lens Who couldn’t play like other boys at recess Who didn’t stand and fight Or wrestle his tormentors; I was a tormentor I didn’t know at the time I was, but I was gifted at making cutting remarks Disguised as humor to make Classmates…
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Ricky
Ricky moved into a new house built on an old grass landing strip of Shambaugh Airport Three years older than everyone in 4th grade he’d chase me home from school One day, I ran into our house home early, Dad made me go back out and fight Ricky put me in a headlock I bit…
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Drapes
today I don’t know why but today I thought of you and wondered why today one day the house was empty the next day it was not drapes in every window we must have been fifteen you moved into a house on Osage I was your paperboy the Journal & Courier sent a note to…
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a nickel a scoop
Hot summer on sidewalk a lost dime no one saw you pick it up Snuck bike from garage two miles to Frozen Custard a nickel a scoop You lean forward lick fast so it doesn’t drip on shirt and give you away 8-22-20
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Tuesday haiku
do you remember running in clover, no cares I don’t, but I try 8-18-20
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Cherry thief
hot day supper’s hours away no one in the kitchen jar of Maraschino cherries sits alone in Frigidaire pop two in your mouth, flee out back door _____ return for supper angry Maraschino cherry mom questions pass blame suggest a sibling back hand to face “That’s for my cherries’ then another “That’s for lying” _____…
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Dreaming with migraine headaches
waking in a time loop of childhood terrors reading in front of class with a speech impediment holding your arm to control a tic trying not to hum or have outbursts in class scrapping in the hall because someone made fun paddlings in the office whippings when you got home suicidal thoughts you fought to…
My husband's poetry 