I, Teach

“I am a teacher
and a repeat offender,”
I said with conviction.
Tried, convicted, sentenced.
I serve my sentence
[grammatically correct, of course]
within these walls
painted institutional green
and ply my trade
from the inside.
And I count the days
until June.

The Elephant in the Room

There’s a series being published over on Vox Poetica called “Aspects of the Elephant.” It’s a poetic look at various viewpoints on love. You really should be reading it. And not just because one of my poems, Words on a Wire, is scheduled to be up there today. [But, if you want to use that as an excuse to check it out, who am I to complain?] It will be on the Today’s Words page today and then moves to the Poemblog page.

Vox Publishes Me Too

Well, I didn’t expect to have these announcements on two consecutive days. My poem “Reach” is now on Vox Poetica. It will be on the Today’s Words page today and then moves to the Poemblog page. I’m in such good company there too so make sure you take time to read some of the other great work when you visit.

RRR: Tapestry

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
This was originally posted on 25 August 2005

Colors bright and beautiful
Add interest to the day
So vivid and so brilliant
Life’s visions on display

Snags and snarls and tiny rips
The edges all are frayed
The fabric of my life unravels
And I am hanging by a thread

Less is More

Less is more
when, like love,
it is

limitless
boundless
countless
shapeless
formless
harmless
breathless
nameless
shameless

Reach

You reach, this time… it’s three
Touch the key, that’s touching me
The key, the type, the touch, the tone
We are sitting all alone
A thousand miles in between
Far too far to be seen
You are there, I am here
But we are closer than we appear

By the Frozen Foods

I saw a ghost today
in the grocery store
by the frozen foods –
that figures… cold as ice –
you stood there
staring at me
in that tone of voice
But you can’t haunt me
any more
the next aisle is fresh produce
I have moved on

A Walk in the Park

With my nose toward my toes
I walk in the park after dark
To exorcise my demons
Until they run
out of me
out of energy
And I play on my way
With my eyes toward the skies

Doghouse Rose

Give a woman a potted plant
no matter how beautiful or rare
and you’ve given her
another responsibility
something else to nurture

I stop at the 7-11
and buy a doghouse rose
I carry the dying bloom
dreading my arrival home
while rushing to get there

It’s Like, You Know

Swallowing a simile
like a gum drop
i had a smile
that tasted of cherry lip gloss
and kisses in the rain