1

packing for college
a pause
to float in the backyard pool

2

nighttime prairie hike
wint o green mints
light up our mouths

3

paper cut
she hopes for
a happy ending

4

the frog falls silent
as we splash
cattail fluff

5

sixth months
fireworks turn
into gunshots

6

a scroll of leather parchment
I chant the ancient words
inked in exquisite black

7

river flowing red
between us
you don't see color

8

ghost?
no, just . . .
tell him

9

the ant goes marching
only one
on on the yoga mat

10

wicker basket holds
paper stories
origami

11

sunbeams and leaves
a new perspective
head stands

12

bending strangely
gnarled and aged
beautiful bikini tree

13

fresh from Grandma's shower
hooded towel and
lavender breeze

14

funeral dress
I hide in
        the back of the closet

15

gripping the wheel
several stoplights
in a single blink

16

new independence . . .
     Mother please
     hold me again

17

staring contest
my eyes meet
the barrel of the gun

18

Prostitution
a penny
for your thots

19

aging mile markers
stuck deep in the dirt
“You can do it!”

20

breaking down
the walls
theyarebuiltagain

21

locked in a cage
scratching at the window
let me out

22

look in the mirror
who are you?
I asked you first

23

from blue to red
the insides come outside
with oxygen

24

open prairie
tall grasses waiting
for the first drop of sunlight

25

lawn chairs
cigarette smoke
cuts through rain

26

refrigerator after dark
an open ocean
I drown

27

foggy thursday morning
old punk song
green pea soup, spicy

28

mother and daughter
blue, green, red, yellow
horses in their fields

29

driving through fields
wind turbines
                      flash

30

raindrops race
to the bottom of my window
inchworms

31

out of nothing
one blink
something new

32

what if
who i want to be
was just me?

33

moving out
my mother cries
gone but not forgotten

34

flower blooms
illuminating
bared skin

35

dreary days turns to
dreary nights
no one understands

36

ghostly images
too fuzzy
to grasp

37

exam hall
we try to talk
with our eyes

38

closed eyes
in the darkness
I see colors

39

hair dye
on the wall
remember?

40

a water bottle cap
spilled on a table
shots of water

41

repacking bags
the enticing smell
of homemade dumplings

42

body hanging—
kids take turns to hit
the piñata

43

cloudless sky
the feeling and the color
stay blue

44

alcoholic beverage—
when I refused it
they booed me

45

glued to my laptop
my exuberant dog
demands to play

46

skip-bo could be fun
I'll have to wait and see
going with the flow

47

crickets chirping
three painted ladies
flit among the peonies

48

three orange butterflies
drinking from lantanas
one lands on me

49

fox squirrel
scurries along the wooden fence
acorn in its too small mouth

50

Clairo
speaks to my soul
you've got a friend

51

it's dark
and I'm still lost
people make mistakes

52

sunset breeze
as he holds me—
underwater

53

flower graveyard
beneath the
starlit patio

54

dancing moonlight
oh to finally be
in my body again

55

running on main street
a left turn—
into the misty woods

56

suddenly darkened day
the rain sizzles
as it hits

57

life is a
rollercoaster
a seatbelt too tight

58

it's wrong to doubt
one's self
. . . right?

59

i try to
stop thinking
about overthinking

60

an old wooden bridge
safe passage over
the dry riverbed

61

clouds crest and dive
a grass-bound bird
puts her earphones in

62

nighttime breaths
below my heart
begins to ache again

63

conglomeration of ducks
one swims
by itself

64

diagonal rain
like the sky has
tilted

65

his touch on my ankle
through the grass—
just an ant

66

quack quack
I turn around
it's not a duck

67

steps on the trail
i wonder who
first walked here

68

the men in suits
debate
are all people humans

69

I sleep with
many ghosts
that haunt my bed

70

i pause walking
. . .
the trees whisper

71

birdwatching
i realize
we're the outsiders

72

expiration date
written clear as day
on every headstone

73

ink on a page
taken from
the grip on the heart

74

tsp, TBSP, cup
secret ingredient:
love

75

let's run away—
get away from everyone
raise sheep

76

road rage
a sailor's mouth
belonging to my sister

77

heavy
but not enough
to lie in shadows

78

yoga mat
shoulders stuck to
the blue

79

honey moon
catching the wrinkle
by his eye

80

staccato silence
severed
by the first note

81

reflective glass
rippled
by the wind

82

family dinner
wine glass resting
on divorce papers

83

pillow mausoleum
the dreams
we let die

84

what once held magic
now is dark
crumbled fairy hut

85

childhood meadow
turned cemetery
the flowers mark their graves

86

paws on my back
meow in my ear
cat nap

87

breathe
breathe
don't forget to breathe

88

did we
walk past
our future selves?

89

a voice
with no face
phone call

90

he floats
at peace in the water
finally able to breathe

91

a short walk
my breath
is shorter

92

tea, friends
laundry, garbage
procrastination olympics

93

flowers speak
yours say
"fuck you"

94

walking around campus
we just hear crickets
kinda suspicious for a friday night . . .

95

no mother
it is not
"just a phase"

96

no mom
I won't turn down that racket
just cause

97

empty parking lot
singing songs with friends
six feet away

98

tumbleweed—
he waddles across the
lonely street

99

the park at dark
apart from You
shadows loom

100

whispered dawn
with the girl in the mirror
one more pill

101

planning our futures
we make
carpet angels

102

bathroom mirror, 3 AM
I rip
myself
apart

103

the sky starts crying
it would've been smart
to bring an umbrella

104

I descend—
my mother screams
Persephone

105

winter sunrise
melting away
the dreams

106

packing my life
in storage
tetris

107

hey alexa
play “human”
by Jon Bellion

108

the tree and i
watch you join hands
with your new lover

109

the smell of chlorine
on the summer breeze
          a side of grilled cheese

110

they look like ants down there—
I say on the ground
about ants

111

words wrestle
my thoughts pinned
tap out.

112

struggling to coexist
the smartest
creatures on earth

113

dappled paths
we talk about
dogs

114

open arms    b r e a t h e

115

curly hair
I realize
like a sister

116

I walk alone
how dreadful it is
to be the main character

117

dandelion wine
the exquisite memory
fades into oblivion