An afternoon

The constant patter
Of rain on stone
Tires whoosh
Bells peal
I talk to myself
Absent conversation
The rain cackles
Tires squeal
Downspouts chortle
The bells answer

At the end of the day

one coffee cup
one moka coffee maker
one milk frother
two tea spoons
one dinner plate
one salad plate
two forks
one knife
one tea cup
one serving spoon
two sauce pans
one paring knife
one glass
one cellophane cracker wrapper
one bread knife
one carving knife

a day in the life

get up
warm croissant
eat it
make coffee
drink it
fill bath
take it
dry off
dress
open news site
read it
go to cats
feed them
grocery shop
carry groceries
put away
fix lunch
eat it
fill stove
light it
open literary magazine
read it
open news site
read it
fill stove
stoke it
do laundry
hang it
make tea
drink it
open literary magazine
read more
open news site
read more
open stove
add wood
open app
look at it
put on music
listen to it
make salad
eat it
pour wine
drink it
do dishes
open news site
read more
put pajamas on
brush teeth
open book
read it
go to sleep
get up

The long hot summer nights

like some whore in a doorway
I stand and survey
the opening not crowd
the band playing loud
as shyness overtakes
I slip away
unseen

How many times

How many times
Did I watch
The full moon rise
Over the ridge
In fifteen years

The Zero Hour

The only time
we could ever make love
would be
when the clock turns to
0:00
we'd exist on another plane
slip
into a parallel universe
where there are no rules
no time at all
when we dream
but you'd have to be quick
0:01
is too late

Pranayama

Eyes down to the floor, up to the ceiling. Breathe slowly to the count of four, one for the abdomen, two three four, thorax chest shoulders, hold one count, exhale smoothly. Pranayama. I used to tease Catherine, if she’d just do that she wouldn’t need to smoke. It’s the same thing, calm your frazzled nerves with deep controlled breathing. Controlled breathing I don’t like that description. Regulated breathing, managed breathing, I don’t know, but controlled breathing sounds too, controlling, something. 

Eyeballs up, down, four times. Now side to side, breathe, concentrate on breathing, count, one two three four one onetwothreefour. Diagonal, down left, up right, one two three four, one, onetwothreefour, two two three four, one twotwothreefour, three two three four one threetwothreefour, four two three four one fourtwothreefour. Eye yoga. Down diagonal right, up left, breathe. 

Toes. See if you can separate each one individually, one by one, breathe, one two three four one onetwothreefour. Power yoga, not for me. so antithetical to bliss. And Hot Yoga, what’s up with that, we have to suffer to improve, or just endure. The Marine’s motto ‘pain is weakness leaving the body.’ What, are we preparing for war. Breathe one two three four.

-Vitals?

-The same.

-Too bad, we could use this bed.

-Let’s wait till tomorrow, I saw some eye movement that wasn’t totally random.

-Hm. Okay, let’s go. I’ve got to get home. Let’s move quickly through here I don’t want to have to answer anyone about when they’ll get out of this corridor into a real room. 

-Did you get home okay last night? 

-Yeah, there were only three checkpoints, night before there were five. Had to make a detour at Fourth, the school was hit, demolished, must have been some meeting point. Had to stop though, to check vitals on some guy. 

-Okay?

No. Dead. Mega-tased, like that one in there. They’re brutal with these protesters. 

Rhetorical

Is cussion
To percussion
As percussion is
To repercussion

Futility

Trying to forget
Like trying to relax or
Try to be spontaneous

vanquished

epic battle 

with bureaucracy

done

implacable 

imbeciles

intractable

idiot

eradicated

dagger sheathed

lance

hung

gloves

laid

looking

to the horizon

into
the void

Retracing our footsteps

A 13 hour drive
North
Through snow
The windshield wipers worked
This time
Your son
Drove
As the scenery
Flew by
I
Watched our lives
Pass before my eyes
I listened to your brother
Connect with his nephew
And heard you
We dined with your daughter
Your ex Brother
And sister-in-law
And toasted
You
Driving south
Waves of emotion
Crashed over me
As we drove
Past our house
Your work
All the places
We'd driven by
So
Many
Times
So this last time
You were with us again
And we made the round trip
For you