he must have been five
too old to have accidentally
wet the floor
but we’d never have known
if not for the half a roll
wadded in the bowl
daring to be flushed
when asked about the paper
he pointed to the dry floor
when asked about the floor
he pointed to the spider
that had crawled its way
along the wall from
toilet to tub
some songs make no logical sense
until the choruses come along
and force you to acknowledge
that sitting through a few
eyebrow-raising verses
might have been
worth it after all
he’s getting disheartened
by all these first dates
but keeps setting them up
and showing up
still waiting to be
knocked off his feet
maybe one day soon
he’ll trip instead
find himself stumbling
into a soft embrace
two months later
and the balloon
on her desk
has finally deflated
the ribbon used as a tether
previously taut with tension
is now slack and sinuous
spooled around its anchor
the five points of the star
once sharpened by
an excess of helium
are wrinkled and bent
into a near empty center
the air of celebration is long gone
but there may be
just enough left
for one last
high-pitched hurrah
no matter
how convoluted
the path
my thoughts
always lead
to you
i got your card today
and in it you thanked me
too much for too little
like letting you sit in silence
as if that required effort
when i already knew
fifteen years ago
when we were (as we are now)
five hundred miles apart
spending the last minute of our first
long distance calling card conversation
in companionable silence rather than
rushed speech that
silence with you
could never
be uncomfortable
when the tender floss of roots
have filled the pot and trapped
the soil in a solid embrace
it is past time for transplanting
do your roots
still have room to grow?
even if we
find ourselves
where no lights shine
it will never be
as dark as
we might
imagine
it was late last night
and i was gazing heavenward
as i am wont to do
while waiting on my sister
when a tiny pinprick of light
popped into being
flew two quick inches across the sky
and promptly disappeared
the landscape and sky
as seen right before noon from
the middle lane of the 15 north
leading into temescal valley
was beautifully washed out
the kind of naturally overexposed
scenic photo i would have taken
with disposable cameras
filled with cheap film
back before i could instagram
crisp photos with good contrast
into bright blurry messes
loosing the binds 