an orphan earring
in the catch-all drawer
summer doldrums

end of summer
more bills and fake
bacon bits

finishing packing
behind the wall
piano scales

stepping stones
covered in moss
too late to forgive

the lilac bushes they uprooted Grandpa
 

having said it
I take a long walk
in the cold

first snowman
my toddler sticks the carrot
below the belt

evening fire
an old song crackles
on the turntable

overcast afternoon
the lifeguard bends
unbends her leg

unspooling my mother's yarns
 

beach breeze
readjusting the umbrella
in my cocktail

srokte raehb . . .
teh cregaveir fwolols
hre maennig

still dark —
I wait for my body
to catch up to itself

jury duty
we take a vote
on lunch

family mantel the ashes I'll inherit
 

tide darkens
some of the driftwood
the other marriage