walking barefoot
girl brings me
her clothed heart

one step
at a time
changes the world

with nothing to gain
I give
everything

jive turkey
fresh
out of the oven

African tree roots
stretch the Atlantic
nourishing our souls

forty acres of land
a lost mule
wanders

rainy night
let us watch
the clouds cry

in my dreams
I hear you
showing me the way

warm feelings
looking at the summer sky
home

drunken phone call
the first time I heard
his voice

sunrise through the trees
he dares me to swim
across the lake

listening to him talk
about his mother
I see my future

emerald forest pool
her red hair
ablaze in the sunlight

frowning at me
leaving for a party
she fixes my hair

lost in thought
one question stands out
Where are you?

sounds of thunder
oh wait
it's your snoring

patient rose
last one
to be plucked

sleeping beauty awaits
her prince
stuck in traffic

making small talk
his mother
looks through me

distance between us
he helps me
cut the carrots

a night with his friends
saying nothing of the lipstick
on his collar

up one
up two
stairmaster

coughing a little louder
hoping he
wakes up

holding the door for me
I pretend I didn't hear
him fart

afternoon sun beats down
telling my mother
"happy father's day"

after kissing him
she brushes
her teeth

class reunion
I look great
husband gets praise

dreams kindled
in a wall street bombing
black smoke

arms linked as chains
only this time
we are free

electricity
slides through the hips
family reunion tradition

winter night
he waits at the door for her
to buzz him inside

star gazing
high school sweethearts
college bound

ocean blue
a young boy's memories of
Father's Day

red rose in the vase
he recites a list
of my mistakes

Autumn leaves
crunching under the children
they jump pile-to-pile