haiku
born with love
or not at all

seconds pass on the clock
I will spend
0:00 here soon

the trees remind me of you
proud and tall
swaying in the breeze

bitch
a compliment
I never thought I would hear

on tiptoes
through the prairie grass
still too heavy

grandfather
if I try really hard
I can remember your voice

three cats
eleven legs
lots and lots of energy

the dress of my dreams
stays on the rack
he didn’t like it

I lost you young
but enjoyed
your other half

one foot
in the door
a faint meow

as I step
to the pitch . . .
I realize my
                  mistake

alone on the water
a single ripple
here comes the kraken

my palm on your cheek
why would I want to hold
anything else?

couch conversation
“we’ll be friends forever”
broken promises

jaunting upstream
sound of the waterfall
closer with every step

walking on water
a spider creeps
into the canoe

the prettiest light
in the universe
her smile

ten minute search
for the glasses
on top of my head

clouds dot the sky
old friends
become new again

a piece of turf sticks to me
one in a million
I see her in the stands

the wall lights glimmer
i can smell
the roses in her cheeks

art museum parking lot—
the beetle clings
to a single crabapple

gray day
across from the gas station
a field of geese

we argue
over the radio station
fifty more miles to go

your hand in mine
little kisses
from the waterfall

scrolling thumbs
sending this meme
a love language

little red wheel barrow
my father turns over
the dirt

rose scented ink
with blood red letters
you said goodbye

letters tucked away
in my shirt drawer
her lipstick print

thousands of miles away
your words stay with me,
folded in my backpack

mulberry stains
my skin only knows
the summer

she lost
her favorite lipstick
on my cheek

early morning
my eyes open
she’s still here

apple cider
you say my name
it grows cold

skipping cd
would I feel better
if you said you hated me?

rings of mushrooms
throughout the woods
she calls them faerie circles

STOP THE MUSIC
*orchestra halts*
power of LuPone

fall breeze
he reaches
for my hand

wherediditgo
WHERE IS MY PHO- oh
thank god

trampled grass
my feet know well
mom calls dinner

jean jacket
stolen from my mom
who stole it from dad

dusty guitar
still missing G
incomplete melody

endless distractions
with so much to do,
I just stay home.

backpaddling
our oars
out of sync

the lake
we can no longer swim in
beer cans

empty tennis courts
driving by
my old school

she dances and laughs
but all she really wants
is to be by herself

my. own. shower.
what a thought
in my dreams

without a care
the wind brushes
golden blonde hair

handwritten
I can feel
your energy

evening light questions
if she thinks about me
corn maze

75 miles per hour
I stick my hand out the window
and harvest the clouds

candles and trinkets and
the list of intentions
the altar; the moon

wreckage all around
the land’s a swamp
happy to be home

young summer . . .
we walk in circles
and share our dreams

tinselly speaker
blasts
ocean waves

life in slow motion
I can breathe
again

early morning fog
I wrap my old hoodie
closer around me

the pulse of
my heart
reminds me      I am alive

hot bath
with the tip of a finger
she traces ribbons in the foam

the silent crossing
I think about
what could have been

         mountains
     out of mole hills
the squirrel winks at me

the mirror that shows
all insecurities
want to take a look?

a simple statement
from your lips
stars shine brighter

the pluck of a harp
her fingers delicately
caress my chin

crumpled up paper
counting down down down
to paradise

wood shavings
pepper my hair
soft lathe hum

can't move
my limbs
not my own

lights out
the crowded classroom
becomes a buddihst temple

the deer stares
right at me
a hurricane of leaves

her heart      mint condition

the watch’s hand ticks
stomach turning over
it ticks