John had problems.But so did all of us. This is not my storyto tell -yetthere are girlswho wentto his house tosee if he was kidding aboutbaking himselfin his mom’s oven,and they learnedthat he woreboxer shortsand slatheredhimself with oleo margarine,and in fact,could hardly geta leg in the pre-heatingoven before tipping the whole thingforward ontothe linoleum with … Continue reading Belly Burns
Junkyard Song
All the singing we did in carstrails behind us.Cartoon notesflutter from open windowsin the time beforeair conditioningandtape decks.An old brown Ramblermay still be rusting somewherealongside an aquamarineFord station wagonbusted seat cushions hummingthe harmonies.When we were violinsHornsDrumsClarinetsgoingdoodle doodle doodle doodle det
Not I
The day they lined us up,siblings 1,2,3, and interrogatedthe vandalism of our father’s lunch box twinkies, one-by-onewe claimed innocence and no one cracked under the cracklingglare of the grownups accusing silenceNot I, I swore, and it was truththat time. In fact, the culpritwas a mouse and all the littleliars went free, hoping forreward later. Sadly, … Continue reading Not I
Sweet Woodruff
Under leaves mulched many inches thickI uncover stepping stones pressed withImprints of our children’s hands, their seaglassand shells foraged on the shores of greatlakes and warm oceans, wherewe crouched and gathered inbaskets long ago when we werelimber and sun-browned, and as yet unbothered by frailtiesto come. Their little hands bringback to life springtimes past, alongwith … Continue reading Sweet Woodruff
Tall Tale
A smoke-grey cat with long legsshowed up at our house long ago.One of many wayward strays tuckedunder the rafters of our littlebrick colonial with the pink bathroom, dusty chandeliereddining room, where childrenpracticed piano in the corner and stretched the phone cord aroundfrom the kitchen to conductthe business of adolescencefor anyone to hear. Mothertaught school then … Continue reading Tall Tale
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Everything
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Everything has started a movement to compel cooks to put their vegetables into boiling water as this kills them quicker than the barbarous method of putting them into the cold and letting the water come to a boil.Lewiston Evening Journal Maine, January 20,1917.A late joiner of the … Continue reading The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Everything
Platonic
Your voice on the page rides ethers strong familiar comforting dear old friend I cherish memory our alleyway bicycle adventures back porch story telling the ache as your family drove down a street I thought meant goodbye Ohio forever. But here’s a photo 50 years hence hip to hip wild-haired on your Napa hillside or … Continue reading Platonic
Peanut Butter Toast
1. You come back around to it, a simple pleasure. Peanut Butter on toast, made with your own two hands. No, you did not grind the nuts, or the wheat for bread, but you learned later in life how to make a lazy sourdough loaf. The toast, well it elevates things. Keep it simple. Eat … Continue reading Peanut Butter Toast
Jonny Quest
Jonny Quest got me thinking early about invisible monsters. The ones you cannot see but lurk and moan deep inside beckoning caves, that can only be made visible by luring them closer to light or dousing with a bucket of paint or snaring in a camp blanket. I was four and impressionable. I was scared … Continue reading Jonny Quest
For Mr. W
I looked around the sanctuary and Just couldn’t recognize a soul today Kept eyes forward Listened for My own Name tucked deep among Other stories from every Person you touched Quietly over the years Reached back for Something you said Trouble you Understood Very Well. Xenial, You always were, and Zero-Hour 9 am. About your … Continue reading For Mr. W
Early Morning Poems 