Deck of cards
just in case
anyone
wants to play
some crazy eight

Kathryn Coffey

“welcome home”
my mother announces
dishes to wash!?
“SHIT”
can I leave now . . .

we sit at desks
stained with dead sea scrolls
x, o, x
unbeknownst to him
I play to win

Lauren Rhodes

the one that got away
divorced twice
six kids
unemployed
I'm glad she got away

Norman Mears

Chicken and dumplings
simmering, sweet
beautiful crockpot
ah, Nana,
it’s been too long

Kathryn Coffey

uniform pressed
medals shined
walking down Main Street
solo parade
for the returning veteran

Norman Mears

Family songbird
wants to fly
somewhere
anywhere
but not home

Kathryn Coffey

Curled
with a book
fireplace crackling
alone
at last

Kathryn Coffey

thinking about you
“oh nah, nah, nah”
getting closer
to your love
“bed”

the slight whooshing of the eraser
cleaning the chalkboard
ever so softly
filled the room
for a lifetime

a girl
Needs! . . . a man
like parmesan complements spaghetti
it tastes good
yet, you have to be in the right mood

Lauren Rhodes

I understand completely, a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. A man compliments a woman, it makes her feel good about herself, but she has to be feeling good about herself as well. Giving her a compliment while she’s in a bad mood, doesn’t mix very well. Bema

body wriggles and sheds a layer
he drapes it over a chair
dingy off-white t-shirt
blue jeans, black belt
Shawshank

Lauren Rhodes

with my children
at my father's house
digging in the backyard
trying to remember
when I buried that time capsule

Norman Mears

no signal
swerving trucks
like white on rice
impossible to separate
not really how I imagined my death

white thunderbird jumpsuit
red Hawaiian lei
The King immortalized
in all his glory
on the black velvet canvas

Norman Mears