Category: Family
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haiku to a wildflower
be kind to yourself garden flowers’ ancestors mother curses as weeds 8-31-21
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Swimming in third person
Coming out of COVID Albert realized He exists outside of his relationships Tries to reintegrate Beyond the confines of his mind Wonders why or if it matters Memories of friendships On an ascent path Rise, break cerebral fluid’s surface Like the taste of cinnamon and icing In the bottom of a bowl His mother once…
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For my cousin, Tammy
twelve hours through mountains close by the river that drains a continent a brood of geese gather to say goodbye to the blue heron that waded the shallows I sit on my porch wishing I could journey over this eastern divide sit among the geese remember the blue heron before I migrate home 7-19-21
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post July 4th haiku
sleeping off fireworks nature is strangely quiet happy July fifth 7-5-21
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wool gathering at 4am
I thought I saw you across the room sitting alone in your hat. I tried to catch your eye, but you never looked up. I pushed back my chair to go over, say hello and ask about mom, When I realized you’re four years gone, you got up and left without finishing your meal. 7-1-21
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For lack of a piece of chalk
Thoughts haunt; selfish thoughts that disagree with kindness, with what you believe to be truth. You try to be a better human, hope belief can erase the blackboard of mitochondrial neurons, but for lack of a piece of chalk a felt tipped marker has rendered you indelibly unclean. 6-19-21
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Family heirloom
Growing up, you’d stare at a family photo on your grandparents’ wall The one of your grandfather, his older siblings and parents dressed in somber suits and dresses, stiff, unsmiling Adult brothers arrayed in the back, three sisters bracket seated parents, a little boy on mother’s lap trying to sit still The little boy was…
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The heron
The brood of geese that waits for a lady with a black dog to spread stale bread along the bank don’t know what the heron sees staring alone knee deep into still waters. Your aunt said your cousin likes to talk with a girl in a picture that hung on her bedroom wall, so they…
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St. Johns wort
earth grew tired of the burden of its spin and night fell you waited in the dark for light then sat all day in shade you became thirsty trying to quantify half full or half empty emptied the glass while arguing acceptable definitions with yourself and went online to order St. John’s Wort hoping for…