Author Archives:

Untitled My mother never dreams at night But breathes instead through purple lips Sucking air into dark, withered sacs. Like the last runner, dogging on, Her bulging eyes fix on the tattered yellow tape. She will not give up: to … Continue reading →

The Twa Sisters There was twa sisters in a bowr, Edinburgh, Edinburgh There was twa sisters in a bowr, Stirling for ay There was twa sisters in a bowr, There came a knight to be their wooer. He courted the … Continue reading →

Intro to Poetry In the beginning I’ll tell you how the Sun rose — The lies I could tell Of Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit; Applauding youths laughed with young prostitutes Droning a drowsy syncopated tune, Of bodies chang’d … Continue reading →

Vertigo Plates on the end of a pole. Bathtub eddies. Vinyl records. Tornadoes. These are all things that spin. The ballerina spins tightly timed turns and at a precise point in the arc, her head turns too. Snaps around. Oh … Continue reading →

Germinating Tongue I left before the twang in the teeth of my kin took root in my vowels | but not before it settled just enough to plant itself in the furrows of my palate | Tiny seed-coat syllables shallow-buried … Continue reading →

Some Day Damp sheets pulled from the dryer too soon cool my tired skin and soak through to my bones. I shiver and review the day in my mind in the moonlight, the face in my memory less beautiful than … Continue reading →

Rumble Ladies and gentlemen, in the red corner we have the challenger from parts unknown, the number one contender and one of the necessary things you need for a happy home. This contender is critical and for complete happiness, it … Continue reading →

Hot Priests The calendar hangs on every souvenir stall in Rome, beside Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck circling Piazza Venezia on a Vespa. January’s a simple seminarian from Akron, but March smolders in his love of the Lord. A sullen … Continue reading →

SESTINA WITH RANDOM PEACE WORDS The bird Noah sent second was the dove, who watched the dwindling of the waterfall to puddle. Doves and ravens don’t agree, not even on the definition of love, let alone whether the wind’s an … Continue reading →

This Freedom Thing  (…for Harriet) There are some that will know you Only through the woeful echoes of ancestors Unripened dreams turned work song Pain-birthed melodies from slaves Whose souls uttered unlettered words Of courage and resolve It is for them … Continue reading →