before I write
my hand
smoothes the sand

4th of July cookout
he cleans the bug zapper

without words
the firefly
escapes

humid afternoon
rays of sun
creeping under the door

watermelon slice
now own’d by the ants

cork bobber
glistening in the sun
sleeping redneck

The Garden Reloaded

behind the perennials
an apple
out of place

wafting through the house
grandma’s freshly cut lilacs

spring breeze
as refreshing as
the baby’s breath

heat of the car door
in the hanging basket
a wilting geranium

spotted throughout
the tiger lilies

unmowed grass
a swarm of gnats
beneath the weeping willow

The Elevator

the girl
I don’t know
burped in the elevator

exiting the elevator
my shoe sticks to the floor

desperate for sleep
the mother’s son
pushes every goddamn button

crowded elevator
the man with body odor
farts

rainy day-the happy midget
can go all the way up

16th floor
late for the meeting
he takes the stairs

Fahrenheit

the temperature drops
as she leaves
the room

august afternoon
riding with the windows down

the fan belt breaks
as the sun
hits high noon

heat of the porch swing
in the distance
the hum of an air conditioner

Wednesday night
drunk on the porch with a guitar

humid night
the wobbling ceiling fan
keeps me awake

Who Would Ever Write a Rengay about Mayonnaise?

an hour after lunch
he tells me
there is mayonnaise in my beard

fast food drive-thru
“Yeah…let me just get something with mayonnaise slopped all over it”

barren refrigerator
the mayonnaise
from 1989

seductively
she licks the mayonnaise
from the corner of her mouth

left in the sun
the mayonnaise begins to spoil

spring picnic
the mayonnaise-unrefrigerated
I settle for mustard

Tetanus Liposuction Revolution

the giraffe
lost
above the stars

behind the waste basket
it smalls of leprechauns

carpet
stapled to the wall
I lose my place in time

across the room
the ominous sound
of spaghetti

lonely black cube
in a drawer of peril

green walls
and window shades
with shades of sandwich