SONNET FOR THE LIVING

Holding hands with the shadows of the dead
The coolness dissipates from our palms
These whispers from the mortuary eaves
Longing for us to be joined with them
Drawn from the supernal hearth of our home
What should be found scary and eerie
Is the stability of our own street
How it bridges across the seasons
Over all the weathered years of our lives
What should really awe and terrify 
Is how the ground and our feet came to meet
And we all arrived to see what's here
Caught in this cold void from eternity 

BLOODWISE

I fill my eyes
to the rim
drinking this
all in

reeling it in
spinning
circumnavigating
the horizon, letting

go on a carousel
head tilted back
eyes shut wide
night drops

replacing the film
with dreams star
projected through
each one of our bright
eyes wrung clear   

REFUGEES

Fitted into life's 

little paradoxes 

glittering for me

when everything 

became already 

yet to be 

clear is the day 

before yesternight's 

cadaverevery

settled succinct 

unique unlisted 

and growing

less than half 

of the truth 

was always 

showing 

broadcast 

from the other 

side when 

cancelled here 

and now playing

over there since our 

message long sent

beamed in 

and out of 

existence 

having

foretold a story 

and forged a plot 

of rebellion 

from alien 

flowers

PRETTY

I secure a darkest vision

I hold its hand as it walks down

The cellar stairs lack precision

In the dark there hides a clown

It is smiling very loudly

For look what it has found

LATE VISIT

An old lady 
in a grimy 
house gown 

lids half opened
revealed perfect 
unstaring eyes

wrinkled lips remained
half snagged on
yellowing teeth

I strapped on latex gloves
and touched and prodded 
and felt the skin

I rubbed the fore
head with my fingers
trying to massage 

her quietly awake 
I played with the eye
lids pulling them back 

up with my fingertips 
then released them 
and watched as they 

slowly shut halfway 
back down in silence 
It was hard to believe 

those eyes remained 
sightless so I reached 
over and held her hand