Concepts – Page 14

Hair

blonde and auburn leaves
kissed by the first touch of fall
decorate my lawn
–
home from work-
she tosses her hair
on the bed

down by the river
releasing slights collected
after all these years
–
on my back-
the weight of countless
grains of sand

an empty rowboat
tied down to a weathered dock
rocking in the swells
–
salt spray-
the old pier’s
bleached bones

in the deep end
endlessly treading water
lest I slip under
–
sand hill cranes-
a bicycle rusts
amid the cattails

who will stand and speak
when there is such injustice
if not I then who?
–
angry seas-
ramshackle rafts
adrift and lifeless

turkey tail mushrooms-
beauty found within decay
and reclamation
–
in the dark-
nimble fingers pick
the mushroom harvest

soft leather armchairs-
whispers of conversations
too quiet to hear
–
a lone robin-
her tweets
unread

hallucinations-
my ephemeral partners
along for the ride
–
water lilies-
a pond dimpled
by dragonflies

the burning red orb
casts its gaze about the land
hard and unblinking
–
ragweed-
my eyes swollen
and gritty

a rippling sky
cast in all directions by
a child’s rubber boots
–
parting clouds-
blue jays bathe
in tiny ponds