whatgoesaroundcomesaround
Jupiter tucked behind
a stop light

••

a tiny lantern
floats forward
to the outhouse

•

salmon swim upstream
strolling down the bank
of the postcard

•

Abbey Road
a chorus of honking
bloody tourists

••

Valentine's Day
I sit at the table
set for one

hair of flame
her laugh brings me
back

•

warm turtle shell
on a thin branch the heron
grasps

•

sterilized needle
Red Cross patiently
waits for you

Frodo & Sam
        father & daughter
pass their passports

over dinner
I see sadness
left in my mother's eyes

••••

in the cool stone
the Queen's eyes
smolder

the smell of rain
just ten more minutes
until the storm rolls in

•••••

furry creature
runs up to me
feels like home

harmonizing
in the back seat
Beetle Beatles

•

perfect specimen
the goddess lifts her
telescope

•••

new shoes
new job
already a scuff

••

hanging a portrait
the whispering hushes
crooked corner

its been months
since she went
off the map

••

munching an apple
the same kind they use
at the fair

macho man
bottle-feeding
the newborn kitten

•

a startling crash
his hand jumps
to his scar

••••• •

bare feet dangling
from the tire swing
when did I grow up?

••••• ••

soft lips
caressing my neck
alfalfa breath whinny

•

strive to remember
God is Good
I take the next step

•

welcoming him home
father's day card
hidden behind her back

••

music store
what do I grab first?
the triangle

beer foam
lonely eyes
across the bar

•••

my faith in a penny
the koi circle
my final wish

••

Flight 109
brings back
my past

geese and grass
one big family
time to fly

•

after hours
dark windows reflect
a single candle

my coffee black
to prove
I can handle you

•••

nothing to lose
a lottery
he undertakes a kiss

••

single mother
first fall alone
noticing her joint pain

•

snack bar closed
we scroll on
our mouse pads

falling face first
into summer stars
—the lake winks back

•

sun on my face
reminds me
this is where I'm meant to be

•

behind the velvet curtain
my hand quivers
spotlight

wedding bells ring
I walk past faces
only seeing one

••

losing track of time
bath water flows smoothly
from under the door

•

snow piles high
he caresses her
bald head

stop sign
in the distance
we accelerate

••

shoveled up tears
I bury them
with him

••••

loving me
the way you know how
tail wags

••

flour billows all over
cut-outs and sprinkle dustings
oven beeping

desktop globe
the child knows
only his backyard

•

love
turns to like
becoming friends again

••

back to the kitchen
another look can't hurt
nothing for dinner

•••

hair pulled back
lipstick on
pretending I'm okay

••••

your smile
a rainbow
after the storm

••••

running my fingers
along the keys
words unformed

••

at the stove
his hands rest
on my apron's ties

•

home alone
taking a shower
the door creaks open

•••

a ferris wheel
as grand as
Chicago's

searching
for the right words
in my cuticles

••••• •••

hop scotch boxes
connecting driveways
summer's eve

•

what better place
to see an opera
down under

one fist up
the other grasps
a 6 pack of Budweiser

•

grasshopper floats
on the waves
summer heat

••••

every creak and crack
can still be felt
the old home

•

the fire
we once shared
ashes

••••• ••••

Toy Story clouds
walking with the Buzz
to my Woody

••

midnight
cookie dough run
the best friends

•••

her smoke break
in the rain
without a cigarette

•••

black eyed susans
grandma's soft hands
coated in garden soil

••••

iced sweet tea—
watching the children
stain their knees green

••

falling apart
I watch the lone wall
crumble

•

hitch hiking
the wrong way
down a one way street

•

dripping from the comb
pure, golden honey
His ways are sweeter

•

little yellow wildflowers
remind me
make the most of it

••••

on a stranger's deck
we talk philosophy
sunrise

••••• •

drunken night
wingman
helps himself

••••

running in the night
a childish laugh
he does not know

a promise
under stars
for more stars

••••• •

spring afternoon
obligatory visit
one last time

•

driving home from school
for summer break
the last time

sunbathing
she sits with friends
toads at this pond

•

Grandma's porch swing strains
mother cradles
her daughter's child

barefoot in the grass
three two one
last kiss

••

the last drive-in
we watch the movie
for the first time

•

the more she drank
the darker it got
tequila

••••

movie night
kernels in my teeth
smiling at her

asparagus spring
cool puddles of rain water
beg for my feet

••

banished
to his side of the bed
pillow thief

•

rain drops trickle
down the stem of the
dying daffodils

••

movie night . . .
gently skimming my skin
like the night before

••

the new sun
too warm
our bodies untangle

••

drops trickle
down a slender neck
the beer bottle

snowy Friday night
logs burning ever so slowly
dusty fireplace

•

shades on
hat back
too cool for school

•

spring breeze
my toes covered
in grey mud

•

squealing in delight
tiny handprints
spaghetti face

•

he's gone
the jokes remain
can't remember the punch line

••

eagerly waiting her reply
his phone lights up
mom . . .

•

after the confession
fart jokes
and giggling

•

Sunday morning
     wrapped in cotton sheets
I watch him dream

••••

a pen standing up
my cup
full of sea glass

••

waking up
can't remember putting on
(t)his shirt

••••