too quick to speak
again
I upset you

I go in for
a hug
I think it is him

ground pounding
that's when you know
it's true laughter

hand in hand
we walk past an old couple
that could be us

addicted to
cracking my knuckles
cherry blossoms

up all night
8 A.M. class
the Walking Dead

wine and cheese
I cannot wait until
her next wedding

with him gone
she pawns off
her gold band

overgrown graveyard
broken tombstone reads
. . . but not forgotten

a gravel driveway
the entrance to
Farmville

in the graveyard
reading the tombstones
trying to not step on people

ordering my tombstone
in the background
my picture

thunder rumbles
raindrops begin to fall
on the drying clothes

trout weaving
in and out
of sunlight

the sun shines
upon the body
left on the side of the road

checking the deadline
for the assignment . . .
due yesterday

class cancelled
I now have time
to eat

smiling
he looks at the tombstone
his latest victim

ice cream at a funeral
        she cries
        when it hits the floor

her grandpa's funeral
she asks
is it over yet

balloon animal's leg
becomes shriveled
she cries

assisted living
my mother asks me
when will her daughter visit

lipstick stain
you tell me
she means nothing

I watch the rain
streak down the window
          your suitcase in the hallway

walking down the street
I step in
love

funky
her dance moves
are old school

smell of charcoal
I toss on
my winter coat

window
in the library
        teased by the blue sky

warm spring day
I wear
my old white dress

my first love
with his wife and kids
awkward reunion

appreciating the outdoor track
                    until
the wind is at my face

this looks
all too familiar
starting line

thanking God
for stair rails
leg day

salsa and cheese
on nachos and dad
Go Cardinals!

I catch my tongue
before it falls out
harsh words

cobwebs across the top
I brush off the grave
to place flowers

listening to a bath
I breathe deeply
and hope for sleep

radio playing
I find haiku
in the lyrics

pulling the laptop out
for homework
how did Netflix come on?

sweat drips
from his forehead
he meets my dad and brother

a rare smile
unable to laugh
after her brother's death

national hero—
an empty casket
below the new gravestone

I brush off
the old dirt
        her tombstone

I wake up
with my hand in yours
happiness

glancing up
to watch
the swish of the baton

my parents say
I can't have it
one hundred dollar doll

her arm moves
like a fast windmill—
strike three

I walk through
the graveyard
looking for my friends

the only true love
I need
guacamole

silver circle
it lights my way
as I stroll at midnight

moonlit park
I run
from my thoughts

snow falling
on the tombstone
she always loved the winter

becoming a woman
with mom not around
awkward trip to the grocery store

hopping from stone to stone
the water
evaporating off my feet

fire drill
remember
the boy who cried wolf

i ran outside in socks
into the rain
fire alarm

the main reason
to visit home
laundry

Grandparents Day at school
I receive
the dreaded phone call

on the school bus
after the game
prank phone call

four-wheeler stuck
two boys
cry for help

driving around town
the summer breeze
from the sunroof

glassy water
we make
a whirlpool of waves

long shower
I figure it all out
        homework

home at last
I sleep
on a couch

home for Christmas
I sleep
till New Years

hoarder's garage
he knows exactly
where the nails are

rich man
one last gloat
massive tombstone

a long drive
with Mother to the lake house
a snail's question

sidewalk chalk
after slip and slide
summer