skinning knees
on loose gravel
bike in the lake

the letter R
on my hot pink handlebars
means right

all my friends
outside without me
piano lesson

“Pumpkinhead,
do you need help?”
Daddy lifts his little girl
into the cab

little girl jumping
on auntie’s bed--
slip!

cerulean blue
clean, sharp tip
of my favorite crayon

rise ‘n shine puddin—
a peck for the
office?

caught by mom
two plastic dolls
kissing naked

stumbling
in 4 sizes too big--
mom’s high heels

crouching alone
under the crab apples
swallowing backyard bacon bone

break the bread
a feast—
for ducks

the dresses Mom made
before she died
growing short on me

running in the snow
my glasses frosted
hot soup

packing again
pushing my boxes along
new home

an addiction
with no support group--
Facebook

a strong woman walks
with dark glasses
to cover the truth

in the bathroom stall
a mousey girl unhooks
her first kmart bondage

smeared tears on your shirt
rubbing my back
Mom

substitute teacher
a suggestive glance
at fifty years old

swimming pool
they take the plunge
forever

piles of homework
but the boy calls—
priorities

true feelings
kept from their true path
a dried out riverbed

the party guests sing
with their beer glasses high
here comes the fuzz

foreign femininity
lumps in my throat
and on my chest

two girls swing
braiding locks
of a weeping willow

playing make-believe
in her dollhouse
alone

a whole new day
bowling and sisters galore…
a tragedy forgotten

watching rain hit
the Bronze Man’s face
I cry too

the music pulsing
through thin walls—
exhausted in the morning

favorite TV show—
memories abound
of her past

a good book . . .
over my shoulder
Abe reads along

reading at recess
transported
to all the places
she’d rather be

Daddy has a
glow-in-the-dark band-aid
oops…

ball of dirt
under the marigold roots
rollie pollie

painted surface
never seen for what it is
peels

black and brown runt
comes to lick my other shoe
I’ll take you

lying in bed
eyes clenched shut
awake

careening birds
make daddy smile
in his flight suit

forever gone
lured by falseness
lone leaf falling

the velvet box open,
a sparkling diamond
changes two lives

his sweet words
washed away by alcohol—
but I remember

little boy
behind the curtain
picks his nose

sprinkling waterfall
toy soldiers drowning . . .
with my rubber duckie

green porcelain seat
throne-sitter reads
my initials

an early morning run
guiding me
a secret sunrise

midnight prayers
across the room
bring us back to peace

three a.m.
three friends
fit

horse manure
after a rainy day
turns to Michelangelo

the lawyer comes home
with estee lauder
on his collar

vicious dog fight
bloody outcome
they are us

drying off
on the sunny creek bank
leeches!

the captive caterpillar
set free
crawls in circles

scaredy cat!
flips and twists
into the moonlight

chocolate pudding
skins peeled by Mom
still warm

eyes downcast
silence builds
in the classroom

anxiously awaiting
the test
room with no windows

after the fight,
I sob--
because you love me

sheets flung in the dark
with words he doesn’t mean—
he thinks I’m his

she cries
she loves me
with a knife in her hand

crowded party
the two of you together
alone

balmy summer day
fishing in silence
with a boy

midnight rain
whispering secrets
in my ear

friday night
asleep on the couch
next to grandpa

the sequins
on her black dress
dance all night

Sunday morning
curled up on the couch
the stained blanket

munching stuffed french toast
Chamber lovers sing
an Ode to Soy

remembering her gas stove
she opens the microwave--
instant mashed potatoes

five minutes on high
season and stir
dorm-made ramen

radio voices
drift into the summer night
me and dad

silent child
shutting the van door
a man with a mustache

barely late
the door, already locked
push, not pull

Saturday night
walking past our house
the transvestite

snuggling
into the hotel bed
a condom wrapper

alone at a party
dried vomit on my shirt
still stone sober

gentle breeze
on sun-kissed skin
turning the pages

resenting her tears
she drowns me in her sorrows
as I stroke her hair

longing to connect,
I try too hard      my voice
goes on without me

sticky day
Stephan drowns me with the hose
it means he likes me

child gripping
a popsicle stick—
sticky fingers

lazy Monday
leaving for school
I resent the dog

wearing a tiara
the strange girl stares back-–
from the mirror

watching the kids play
punished for a messy room--
pulling weeds

he’s prayin for a miracle
usin teeth
damn Bra

dorm room odor
across the hall
garbage jenga

five weeks later
the pile overtakes my floor
laundry day

two pounds to go
she struggles to ignore
the vending machine sweets

my roommate talks
with the radio on
. . . all I want is sleep

Friday madness
new best friends
running from the cops

the wind in my hair
no one else is near
the mulch