Spring break
knowing I don't
have to set an alarm

laying in the grass
book in my hand
Lazy Wednesday

alone for the weekend
turn on
all the speakers

phone beeps
1 a.m.
sleep texting

almost midnight, playing cards
my dad smiles
and deals one more hand

late night
one more shot
of cold medicine

flip-flops slap
against the sidewalk
walking hand in hand

quiet of a spring breeze
two laptops open
my father and I work

our favorite Mexican restaurant
you remember it's Friday
and order the veggie burrito

warm breeze
headphones in
my summer music

finally,
back in my own room
no door.

pushing through
the sea of green
watching beer fly

snow's smooth reflection
not a cloud in the sky
sunburn

work schedule posted
goodbye
spring break

mother daughter
date
just what she needed

loyal kitten
cuddling
first night home

Level 4
instructing the breaststroke
smarty-pants already knows

pumping air in the tires
like we never parted
old friends

St. Patrick's Day party
she asks where
my mother thinks I am

silent library
the girl by the window
studies for the LSAT

St. Patrick's Day
nobody knows about
my green underwear

small town
buzzing with activity
in the sunshine

St. Paddy's Day
corned beef and cabbage
with grandpa's new wife

an unknown woman
somehow related to me
stories aplenty

strumming a ukulele
she plays the song
she wrote for him

work break
his contagious smile
during our surprise visit

sudden downpour
can't run away
cause I'm on crutches

walking for slurppies
in cut off jeans
Summer in March

scrolling through Facebook
Spring vacations
she'll never have

over ice cream
an old friend
finishes my sentences

gentle breeze
loses my place
I nap in the sun

poolside with my girls
tropical drink in hand
where's the pause button?

the long stretch of the road
stares me down as I toe the line
cool March evening

spring clouds
cover the sun just in time
for track practice

chillin' by the pool
suddenly splashed
thank you, child

we all watch him walk by
lowering our shades
what a hunk

every square inch
of my body covered
sand

hidden trail
deep in the woods
flowers only I know

sweet silence
to awake once more
in my own bed

birthday dinner
two weeks early—
ice-cream face

coffee shop gossiping
the gray haired woman
rolls her eyes at us

floating gnats
above the picnic table
sting of bug spray

midnight swim
we snuck in
after hours

warm sunlight brightens
the page
I try to read

spring sun
only one to keep me company
2 hour run

old high school friends
reunited
now strangers

spring break
stepping into the sunshine
on my way to work

driving along the coast
today
we find the rain

quiet night in
we put on Lord of the Rings
I sleep on his shoulder

driving eagerly
to meet her
for lunch

early morning
we wash the windows
just to watch the rain

two people
in love
with someone else

starting to realize
it's too hot out
for hoodies

thinking of you
as if on cue
text message received

home alone
I wake up
just in time for lunch

long walk
and girl talk
over pineapple coconut ice cream

on our walk
we talk of our future
as the sun sets

wind blowing
my knees shake
surfers in the sea

in the kitchen
we make our masterpiece
mac-n-cheese

lights down low
I close my eyes
scary movie

country road
holds the answers
to my thoughts

we pace the trail
searching for
our special place in the woods

following
in father’s footsteps
salty ocean breeze

stuck
in a hospital bed
rotten spring break

dogsisterbrothercatdinner
dirtybathroomdustyshelf
clusterfuck.

the weather takes me back
hunting crawdads
in the creek

making awkward small talk
while we swing
chairlift ride

Ithinkthatswherewe'resupposeto—
                                                  . . . turn.

three best friends
sleepover
we are children again

stepping on fresh bloomed flowers
midnight walk
with my father

walking the dog
stop and go
our own language

high school event
when did I
become a chaperone?

house with blue trim
still not as homey
as the big blue

driving around
without my iPod
too much Adele

hundreds of red lights
blinking around us
--windmills

picking up right where
we left off
high school best friends

disappointed family members
I’ve changed my major
yet again

stop sign
Mom breaks the silence
"So, how is school?"

I lean over
to the driver's seat
for a kiss

beat up glove
envelops the old softball
father daughter time

sixty-seventh birthday
she takes herself
shopping

jogging together
I slow my pace
for her

best friend finally home
the first hug
goes to her boyfriend

rest stop
the vending machine
is broken

twelve again
as I play football
with my cousin

shooting hoops
with my brother
birds chirp

corn, corn, corn
corn, corn, corn
nebraska

a slow drive past
a place I spent so many days
my high school

Sunday afternoon
time to
start homework