vines entwine
masking
the pain inside

ah, there you are
blue and white
we will loyal be

spring wedding
a lonely woman
picks up the rice

twirling her hair
whispers to friend
dibs called

the changing wind
dreams
p a s   s    b    y

winter oranges
bits of peel
stuck under fingernails

slaves' safe haven
solely engulfed in the mother's womb

blank computer screen
I don't know
where to start

emergency landing
baby bird's
clipped wing

extravagant party
nobody
knows the host

two days late
she calls to warn
her boyfriend

chamomile
couldn't cure a broken heart
this side of paradise

back and forth
on the swingset
naive or innocent?

scowling at
the recycling bin
orange peels

circus trailer
the clowns paint
fake emotions

client's rancid pits
I don't get paid
enough for this

where does my heart go
         when home doesn' want it?

i love you . . .
text message
empty words

last chip
falls to the ground
unfinished business

scrabble tiles
spell my name
how did i get this job?

he said one more drink
won't kill me . . .
it did

sometimes all you need
is a puppy to hold—
precious angel baby

the dead seen
in a mirror
no make-up today

crunch        of an apple
quiet classroom

clenching my son's hand
can only protect him
for so long

post-it notes
holding my heart
together

after the rain
I can't explain
how I can still love you

she blends the
colors on the canvas
and her forehead

rays of sunlight
protrude from the clouds
thorns

the sky's raining
today in Soho
umbrellas bump shoulders

sriracha
sensation on my tongue
with every bite

star shaped candy
twinkle
in my eye

the bird out my window
won't bother me anymore
      F E a t H e R s

rub the world from

          my eyes

a perfect house
with a perfect white fence:
a blind man retrieves the mail

playing cards slide
off an old Rosatti’s box
gin rummy

in the reflection
I don't see myself—
only a liar

foggy night
a one-eyed raven's
scraggly perch

coastal town
love affair
a girl and the sea

over the mountain
clouds hide
what we long to see

silent and alone
he slowly swings
where is my mom?

blue skies
spring in a dress
and in my step

heels off
barefoot on
hard concrete

dropped balls, missed catches
going on
lap fifteen

in the classroom
people listen
but I dream

metal spaghetti
in my drawer
headphones

hot hot
laptop burns
my legs

peanut butter
warm welcome from grade school
crayons and recess

school girls
laugh
boy born with HIV

faces walking down
crowded sidewalks
each one with a story

penguin love
where a widdle and a waddle
means so much more

something broken
          had never looked
                  so
                          whole . . .

two years later
threatening messages
. . .
she’s alive

strum it, Dylan, as if
youth will never fade
make a sound for the ages
(timelessly afraid)

first few months
bliss
. . . I could have loved you

murder
pumpkin seeds
a new face

tattooed tears
battered jeans
your Beastie's tee

flickering orange
frosted window reflection
cat licks her paws

little nook
—a tiny closet
one small chair

tossed away
like the petal I tore off
he loves me not

A Solo-Renku

her brittle hand
replaced
by brittle air

new year clockwork
we embraced

donned in black
her curls
like Harry did before

losing my tooth
in the spare bedroom

she made me promise
and I couldn't
follow
through

lost in concrete serpents finding a new home

nature is beautiful
but it's course is cruel

I cherish her soul, her soul cherishes mine

would you be proud?
traipsing through her empty room

for times I was scared
she let me sleep
in her bed

forever together
together alone.

• • •

broken glass reflects my broken bones
  

a drive through
the city I grew up in . . .
I fall once again

skyscrapers
         a beacon of hope
that one day I'll soar as high,
stand as tall

ritzy draping crystals
over smoke-filled chatter
hidden booze in canes and garters

making decisions
for me

broken shackles

quiet, quiet
don't let them hear
quiet, quiet
. . . the dark is near

gothic kid
in class
what is he thinking?

furry body
long whiskers
what are you thinking

the bright lights
of Times Square
teary eyes

in the dark I know well
there is a part
I can't tell

blind
red flags
no one pays attention

night sky
all of the stars
watching me

Always asking
       what time is it?
               wishing my life away

hands clasped
all I can do for her
is pray

shouldn't we love freely?
sparrows always
find their way home

lady liberty
waves goodbye
10,000 feet down

basement piano;
I use the washing machine
to keep in time

he kissed me
last weekend
—and now I'm nothing

like a game of
   "tag!" you're it
       but love's not a game

piercing needle
through the skin
adjorning new jewelry

Mrs. White
in the hall
with the revolver?

she lit my cigarette
outside the late night diner—
lasts are always bests

apologizes
but the bruises
scream louder

The Plaza on Fifth Avenue
pink bow in her hair
carelessly Eloise twirls

hides himself
behind thick-framed wayfarers
and Tolstoy

sculpture studio
inhaling soot
at the ringing anvil

no caller ID but
incessant ringing
(parking garage at night)

homesick
my senses search
for harvest

alone at home
blank white envelope
unopened

sweetheart on his knee
he said loved me
let that be my story

even if it was
only for a night,
you were still mine

sun rises, moon dances
still the only person
I think about

pine breeze
cradles every strand of hair
sun setting

weed sifts to the door
grumble like old people
who don’t like crowds

earthquake
ground shifts
to who I am

kissthesunrise
             &welcome him home

a room for two
times four
warm laughs all around

santa's house
young children cling
to wish lists

jar of sand on dresser
the echoes
of soldiers

sunset
the beauty of a kiss
illuminated

hospital room
people come and go
but only doctors

sharp train horn
second reminder
of the new day

how about those clouds,
slo-mo breath
of sky

. . . silence
thunderclap
of a baseball bat

greying hair and smiles
baggage claim
home at last

sunny day
promises
are null and void

cafeteria
nothing beats
my garden back home

footprints in the sand
where do i begin
where do I end

evening walk
peaceful chatter shattered
by dog's teeth

home alarm system
seconds before the doorbell
baying beagles

feeling like two of a kind,
she picks the
white colored pencil

yellowed photograph
my departed grandmother
at age fourteen

butterfly whispers
"hey squirt"
just like dad did

dust everywhere
I examine
the strange tracks

giggling girls
I smirk
dating sims forever

the sewing machine
ticking along
then a bomb

slipped on the ice I said,
stitches line my face
one of many lies

long talk past dusk
the neighbors
retrieve their drugs

old willow
dying in summer sun
no more swinging

anxiety
            don't tell me
there's nothing to worry about

my own words start
a song
in my head

pillow fight
with myroommate
cheeks hurt

my past surfacing
to strike from below
submarines

little dress
brown elephants
for Africa

quiet building
we run around
finding sardines

His love
gives me breath
and sucks me breathless simultaneously

grooves rotate and swirl
needle is not clean
but beautifully impure:
play me that sound of silence

stickers
on the wall
peeling
mental hospital