Curtains
Unravelings rambled undetected amongst the two us
Made their way to a place in our hearts that our brains didn’t know to protest
You, now gone, as a breeze
I, here, in the still
Grasping devotion I do set free
Blameless, we
For the loving words we uttered
For the promises we made
Unaware of translucent thorns wafting betwixt our souls
No Sunshine
Driving yesterday, Friday
Suddenly, my periphery
I saw you
You saw me — singing, maybe
Our worlds, long since finished colliding
We, continued
I singing, still
“Why are you alone?”
The music sneaked up on me to ask
Caught me off guard
My voice was in another world
Singing of a lover’s soul
So I sang soul music to explain
Loud, because of my soul’s pain
Complete Disappointment: A Haiku
Love and coward-worn
That I care for mere mortals
I can say no more
Photo: Wright Home and Studio;
Oak Park, Illinois; Sept., 2018
Lofty

I remember temperatures
Made me rise to you
Every opportunity
I leaned in to melt
Never swept the sun away
I bid it come closer
That I would rain down
Begged it then to burn me
Condense and then confine me
Maybe we were clouded
But I couldn’t care
I wanted to be near you
In your lofty air
Things With Strings
See that small farm right there
See those young and old kids
Mine and his
Toys and mischief, solemnity and instruments strewn about
All things with strings — what heaven these things
Animals, there’s no choice
Alpacas, needing to wake us at dawn but, agreeable, settle in for the night before our dinnertime
Ebony dogs and snowy white chickens
No cows, but a cowboy
Keeps his white hat far back in our closet on a shelf and never puts my heart on a shelf
Comes home from work on time and Saturdays are his and mine
We get greasy together under the cover of some good old American steel
In the polebarn back there, muscle-bound memories we rebuild
Sundays are God’s, he says — how he leads the way, putting all striving aside for the day
On his knees each night in prayer
No need to prove himself to me ever again since he put me on a pedestal there in his heart of gold
Our house on a hill, our kids and our farm
His eyes and his time and his life
His gifts to me, Amen and Amen
Our Last Kiss: A Haiku
And that you missed me
‘Twas your Christmas confession
Define Truthfulness
Tomorrow Leave
I asked you then, come away
From pretending
From costume parties
To remove the mask
To wear your name proud
The name borne of your mother’s heart
The name I called you as a child
Remember who you truly are
Remember what you deeply love
Creatures, cars, cooking, calm
Comfort in my crazy arms
Leave behind the aged bones
Leave to find your first true home
I ask you now, come away
A revelation
I was warned of the Yellow
Whence comes 5 o’clock