A brand new year...seventeen syllables at a time.

Friday, December 31, 2010

catch up

unpublished bits and pieces from the year

far distance spanning
the whole country stretches out
between you to me


ensnared in velvet
neither matador nor bull
can take the next step





vitrolic entry
into peaceable kitchen—
why be such a bitch?

under all that i
barely recognize myself
nor expect others to

cuddled, my eyes closed,
with shoulder against sofa
pretending it's you

once lovely and fresh
snow upon snow now grates
like gravel and soot



Miniscule pop-ups
what small person uses you
to camp at target

in a wilderness
of mass consumerism
what small person camps?



mid-day, a bad day
text message from a good friend
a surprise rainbow

on brigid's threshold
i bathe, half in, and half out
of my element



constellation head
brain fullav stars and stories
glowing in the dark







It's MLK Day
with Chuck Brown and the big house
needs the party roll.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

specimen jar


encapsulated
odd specimens extracted
from bakery shelf

punctuation


Punctuating dusk,
pink commas create a pause
against the sunset.

"Westward, ho!" Contrails,
like my heart, slip west
in darkening night.

no good to morning

"rosy-fingered Dawn"
how could I tell while nestled
you were bringing stress?

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

CSX truck


metal wheels engaged
a toy truck running amiss
rolls on railroad track

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

aftenoon snack


secret compartments
hidden within a rough skin
elegant segments

like juicy pulp
poetry exercises
tend toward clotting

lunch break

purple yarn dangles
needle darts between fingers
and knits fresh fabric

Monday, December 27, 2010

naptime


cat asleep on knee
Pax simultaneously
snoring and purring

windy monday

running in terror
before a rapacious beast
leaves flee from the wind

like ducklings in row
leaves cross the road single file
to cover the creek

Sunday, December 26, 2010

lack of snow day

peeping out hourly
anticipating snow day
and counting snowflakes

tonka toys lined up
salt laded and ploughs engaged
at highway margin

disappointed here
do ploughs circle the beltway
searching for more snow?

Saturday, December 25, 2010

christmas morning


bouncing on his toes
shredder gets down to business
opening presents

serious business
this opening of presents
don't they realize?

Friday, December 24, 2010

wrapping up

a day to myself
amid bustle, quiet down,
exhale, and wrap gifts

Thursday, December 23, 2010

winter

discharging potential
my hair crackles with static
winter fully here

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

brushing the moon


bare limbs tickling
pale moon balanced on tree tips
over dusky drive

rolling on the fringe
pale marble lost in carpet
of living trees

dream hangover

hungover a bit
memories of shape shifting
to keep pace with moon

dream cobwebs cling
visions overlay morning
caught in night's clutches

still groggy with dreams
intoxicating moon set
grey dawn beckoning

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

3 am


baleful and bruised
a shadow darkens
the night's bright eye

velvety eclipse
blossoming bruise on pale cheek
spreads across moon's face


cherry throat lozenge
lingers in the morning's sky
translucent and moist

in to thaw a bit
nose pressed against kitchen glass
watching the moon change

photo by Jillisa Milner

Monday, December 20, 2010

Monday morning

two hours sleep only
and off to preschool pageant
up 270

Sunday, December 19, 2010

sunday morning


slack, like old grey cat,
i sit ensconced on sofa
and ponder ennui

Saturday, December 18, 2010

baltimore coffee n tea


way too much coffee—
how to make a selection
for a french press pot?

i love you honey,
but sadly, not enough to buy
you jamaican blue.

Friday, December 17, 2010

that holiday glow


cheeky Santa
eyes cherry pies and glows with
anticipation

so full of spirit
Santa mimics go-go girls
and dances 'the jerk.'

Thursday, December 16, 2010

frozen creek

window for fishes,
pebbles, mud,and hellgrammites
pane frozen in place

magnifying pane
exposes what hidden worlds
newly here for view?

rhythm


snow white and stone grey
stale layers of limestone cake
wait to be eaten

graphically stark
beauty grown in repetition
and frozen in place

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

nom nom nom


camouflaged cookies
attempt to escape their fate
and blend with counter

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

still windy

angry werewolf winds
howl hungrily at my door
and demand breakfast

Monday, December 13, 2010

spot check

at doctor c's
the wind howls as i, naked,
flip for inspection

Sunday, December 12, 2010

rotary

tactile connection:
reach out and touch someone, as
the commercial went

still clean design
with sharp lines and bright colors
a rotary phone

inside, hot soup steams,
while outside cold rain dampens
Sunday afternoon

Saturday, December 11, 2010

saturday


luxuriously
pink, furiously plush fluff
fingers sink in deep

Friday, December 10, 2010

flurries

air of sudden swirls
thin skin of slicking sidewalks
flurries dance about

Thursday, December 9, 2010

thursday


pondering self
repeated in glass, bunny
balances on moon

lonely bunny stares,
quizzical or just hungry,
at picture menu

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

crunch

brittle blades crunch
rimed with pale frost flowers
blooming in the cold

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

exhale

solidified breathe
mid air fantastical shapes
captured by the cold

Monday, December 6, 2010

lunch with mom

too much gyro
buttons and seams bursting
fullav feta

blow the man down

the wind sings a song
of bluster and bravado
in the city's ear

Sunday, December 5, 2010

IKEA


a breeding program
progenitors of faux mink
tangled in small bin

Saturday, December 4, 2010

who are you?


inhabiting chair
bizarre creature predicts mood
and, if flipped, smiles

Friday, December 3, 2010

clementines

a golden striptease
slow reveal of tangy sweet
and delicate topaz

Thursday, December 2, 2010

R.I.P.


soft wings brush ghostly
spectre in black and white coat
mom now home alone

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

winds

locomotive-like
iron winds hoot and bully
trees to meet their will