at a bed and breakfast in the Catskills,lost somewhere between 1985and a lump of sorrow in the throat,there it was on the plate:little edible pink petals,next to the fresh scrambled eggs: local cluckers and garden bountyserved by a man whodrifted through timeand opened his houseto the likes of us: two idiotswho later came back withaContinue reading “Bee Balm”
Tag Archives: poem
Azalea
I can still hear her voicetalking about them, bloominglike a bright gentle flowerfrom the bushes along the greens and fairwayssweet and slow as asouthern afternoon, spiced uplike the wine-soaked pork chopsand etouffet she loved to make I can still feel her hands,floral with lotion and softas butterfly’s wings, plusalmost as fragile,navigating the click ofknitting needlesContinue reading “Azalea”
Zinnia
the field is a constellation of colora vast universe dotted with petal’d starswhere harvesters buzz like beesarmed with scissorsfor take-home delightsthat don’t lastthe crystal autumn sky watcheswithout emotionthrowing down rays of dustto nourish the future,who buds in quiet industryin spite of the invading hoards This poem is about the field of zinnias at a pumpkinContinue reading “Zinnia”
Marigold
buttoned up with meaning,like clockwork in the skythroughout the year,a garland of desire likea field of bristling sunsgravely marching to dotheir business with thegreat beyond, equal to bothsides of life’s coin: weddings and funeralsjoy and loss take it or leave it,stuff your pockets full of gold I can’t think of marigolds without thinking about thatContinue reading “Marigold”
Hyacinth
bittersweet early bloomerdrunk on the blood of winterswollen in the sleeping soilto thrust a graceful, frilled neckthat soaks up the delight of the sunintoxicating passers by toswoon in half-sorrow longing the perfume cuts throughthe air like an errantdiscus thrown and then struckby the jealous windso sweetness springs fromthe grave where youth fell,to sorrow-seed the fallowContinue reading “Hyacinth”
Geranium
comfort kisses, here in this terracotta potwindow seat with a viewa sprawling forest of brick wallsin countless kitchens, the urbanjungle brightened witha touch of the pretend:no one cooks here,but if they did there’s balmfor knife-slips in these leaves,just don’t mix them up with the take-out Thank you for reading!
Eclipse
(For the full Super Flower Moon, May 2022) what more can I say about the moon? my daughter read an articleon rabies that scared the witsout of her, so I am thinkingabout all the wild thingsmarauding out therein the ghostly super light the earth’s shadowscrapes its way across her facea raw red nailturning the whiteContinue reading “Eclipse”
Pansy
I think, therefore I am: beautifulin a simple, smiling kind of a wayvelvety, underfoot, a little somethingto remember me by Let me ease your heartwith bard songs that bringsweet nothings to mind Carry me close, sprinkle mewith sugar and I willgarnish your days,a lion-hearted darlinggracing the garden with a flourishof loamy, bright color-splash Oh theContinue reading “Pansy”
Lilac
delicate purple sweetness,pipe your secrets in my earsing to me while I bury my facein your perfumethe essence of somethingso far away in my memoryI can barely see it on the horizonbut it approachesat a run, swift as a riverwashing over my senses asI close my eyesand breathe it in Thank you for reading!
Daffodil
Pride of parks and roundabouts in Britainwhere Wordsworth waxed ecstaticin his regard of those yellow hosts Bright faces perking up the lawnsof New York after a drearyendless winterwaving in the breeze like so manyflags pointing toward warmer daystrumpeting a new season I never noticed their absencein the south, dazzled insteadby the yellow face in theContinue reading “Daffodil”
The Poetry Patio 