flannel nightgowns
we cut squares of toast
breakfast for the birds

sparkling dresses
five year-old girl
her first grownup party

down stuffed coat
brand new
with room to grow

long summer weekend
extened family
small lake

neighbors unite
children run and hide
water balloon fight

bright summer sun
tire swing
alone

sunny morning
laughter in the kitchen
coffee brewing

afternoon barbeque
on the back patio
plump burgers on sourdough

street light flickers
heated oven
ready for dinner

winter campfire
leaves crunching
eyes of the night

morning chill
un-zip my nest
lingering lake aroma

a light mist
cooling my face
my hand in the water

huddled on the porch
the three of us
drink in the rain

old country road
our first moment
hangs in the air

Caribbean surf
three friends share
a six pack of secrets

fireplace glowing
my dog and i
spoon for more warmth

treading on tiny mountains
frozen footprints
aren't my own 

dog’s eyes
filled with guilt
missing with guilt 

white Christmas . . .
a memory of
crashing waves

looking up
  open wide
a snowflake on my eyelash

icy beach
utterly alone
a smoldering fire

big gift
small package
past
present
future 

pink heart tissue paper
eyes connect
no words needed

red candy hearts
his smile
all I need 

hot summer day
deep end
learning to swim

grandpa's beach house
waking up early
to become part of the lake

long line
favorite water slide
fearless little sister

fields of gold
the brother and sister
play tag

starry night
the children
tell ghost stories

unsealing the envelope
musty letters
reveal mother's past 

spinning fast
between my fingers
a vase takes shape

the Holy Bible
her writing, so delicate
I met my grandma

funeral service
snowflakes fall
quietly

calm water
inflatable turtle
we drift

the water calms
a mirror
is that the future we see?

long road back
counting miles
by thinking of you 

talking trees
saying goodbye
until next July

your last words
your first words
all lies

hands on head
woman screaming
tornado coming 

late night on the L
a punk kid with piercings
cradling a newborn child

lane lines
incandescent fuel gage
burning eyes

sun shining
a baby giggles
hands free in the air 

rows of cookie dough
from one sheet
an empty space

Spanish olives
despised as a child—  
devoured                                         

grandfather's laugh
  horseradish sauce
  sliding down the drain

with great pride
I tie off my last stitch
finishing my first pillow

swishing legs
plop!
snow angels 

snow beating the windshield
cars in the ditch
lights of the city appear 

hairspray lingers
shared smile
my mother's pearls

best friends
long distance call
goodnight, Mom

brown shoe polish
perfect technique
I learned from my dad 

a baseball glove
too small for my hand
I remember my dad 

5 colored circles
above an ice chute
sled flies down

pressing the petal
I begin to sew
with my mother's guidance

wiggling all day
apple first bitten
tooth missing

two fingers
above dry carpet
zap each other 

steering wheel of ice
all systems fail
right on schedule

framed picture of us
shards of glass
in my fist 

red bumps
watching from afar
friends leaving for the dance

walk in the door 
amid the screams 
we lock eyes  

curtain up
drumstick twirls
my heart flutters

clammy palms
butterflies
blue eyes love me?

crying eyes
walking alone
soon to be crowned

middle age pastime
three wood
goose's head

open gym
halloween costume contest
helping the handicapped

body pillows
sisters talking
topic doesn't matter

a quiet night
the only sound
is the cracking fire

the window's sun rays
spotlight her
aged fabrics

graduation day
her aged sewing table
rainfall accompaniment 

ink stain
hidden with a blanket
. . . until summer

playfulness
smiles all around
making it safely to base

a quilt on the bed
telling stories
her absent mother

lightning crashes
aroma fills the room
as bread is baking

eyes over the counter
chicken gizzards
in a wet paper bag

steaks glisten
raw
on white paper 

still, humid air
grins on our faces
summer love

freshmen geography
still together
seven years later

lining up for school
little brother's first day
tears fall down his face

ocean faces
tinted soft blue
incandescent moonlight 

silence
staring at the sea
quiet thought

first date
a single rose
Valentines Day

hurried costume change
hearing the audience
clap from the wings

at the opera house
the soprano misses
the platform . . .
thump

breakfast table cleared
taking pleasure in
weekday morning game shows

new ballet shoes
small and clean
unlike theirs

mid summer morning
wet with dew
we pick the tomatoes

summer night
we sit and wait
for the train to pass 

fathers and sons
Sunday ritual
goose poop among leaves

seated on his knee
singing a song
in a foreign tongue

old fishing knife
grandpa used
to cut cake

faltering ankles:
beneath the snow
shoes' icy remnants

first snow day
no boots or gloves
to play

bundled up
running noses
just five more minutes

away from home
a glance at
her mother's quilt 

quilt of color
warm underneath
with the dog at my feet 

small chair
Grandma and I
warm each other with love