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- the sweetest shoppe
Cookies and cakes and
assorted confections, all
sugar to savor. - george floyd
Minneapolis
man seeking redemption and
work while getting straight. - ahmaud arbery
Georgia runner who
loved his mama’s fudge cake and
did great impressions. - more on breonna taylor
Louisville ER
tech who scribbled goals on Post-
it notes in her home. - the embiggening of milkshakes
Stick ’em in a jar
and top with cupcakes, pretzels
and firecrackers. - in the grips of depression
Each morning I sink
back into the ooze, drowning
slowly on dry land. - making time for everything and nothing
The energy to
do 500 things, the time
to do maybe four. - the coming race war
Keep pushing people
of color to the brink. Fuck
around and find out. - the longest book
The longest book is
the one sitting patiently,
ready to be read. - no one deserves her smile
She graces me with
a knowing grin, dazzling my
eyes, melting my heart. - hurricane country
Much like where you live,
with a few more occasions
to flee for your lives. - ongoing obsolescence
The way we do things
today won’t be around for
very much longer. - a last summer hurrah
Before they send us
back to confined spaces, full
of vaccines, ennui. - postcard to a friend
I’m at the beach, but
dreaming about us having
dinner together. - the canine twins
No scrap goes untouched,
no ball goes unthrown in a
two-dog family. - sunshine on hidden depths
Growing my hair in
back and chewing on Skoal. I
am Florida man. - sandy siren
The beach stretches out
forever and calls you back
(without the big crowds). - postcard poetry
Back in Florida
enjoying the sand, seafood
and grand sunrises. - the corpse in the driveway
It used to be a
bird, or maybe a squirrel. And
now covered in flies. - for a few commas more
I, do, not, like, the,
insistence, on, the, use, of,
the, Oxford, comma. - his one trick
Waiting for it. More
anticipation. Snatching
the treat from mid-air. - infinite grief in a finite period
When do we mourn a
pandemic, all the lost lives?
And when do we stop? - a restorative place
I find my seat and
begin the warmup to a
session of breathing. - word search
He dutifully
crossed out excess words on the
sheet with a red pen. - back to school 2021
Classmates free of masks
and full of shots once again
crowd their old classrooms. - moth mayhem
Their swarms visit each
room, awaiting their turns to
redo my wardrobe. - the future is streaming
Buzzy series, live
sports, cooking demos, doorbell
pirates, Old Sheldon. - head games
Star athletes compete
for glory, but we fail to
see the mental toll. - a race against variants
Will the unvaxxed kill
us all? Will the strain between
tribes undo it all? - the pandemic in fall, second round
Return to normal,
or a march into a great
unknown risk for all. - those disposable pandemic pets
No longer puppies
and kittens, they returned to
shelters unneeded. - black lives still matter
How quickly our white
allies went back to business
long before justice. - bad reams
Most dreams die from the
amount of paperwork that
it takes to launch them. - casual racism
It slips into our
conversation so quickly
I fail to push back. - resistance isn’t futile
Maybe the reason
we’re so memorable is
because we fight back. - the dog walker’s mantra
Who’s happy to see
me? Who’s a good boy? Oh yes,
it’s you! You you you!! - beacons of positivity
The people in our
lives who radiate joy stand
out for their brilliance. - art for art’s sake
Do something, and do
it badly. Don’t make money
from it. Just enjoy. - losing a best friend
One weird fight, and years
of camaraderie slip
away in the wind. - a fiftieth wish
I hope you’re safe, I
hope you’re well, but most of all,
I hope you’re happy. - looks like we mated
You have something on
your face. No, not there. Lower.
That conniving smile. - the harvest, summer edition
Cucumber, cucum-
ber, cucumber, cucumber,
cucumber and dill. - jetset jaunt
Fly across the world
for fine dining, then fly back
home with full bellies. - hope for everyone and no one
A drunk drying out
while protecting his claim to
the girls he neglects. - after a rainy walk
He proudly trots from
the door on the kitchen floor,
muddy paws and all. - this dog misses his mama and daddy
He whimpers, wonders
where his family has gone
while gnawing on bones. - anxiety on the line
Keeping a firm grip
on the leash, never knowing
which way he might run. - sprint and spritz
Neither darkness nor
rain kept him from his rounds of
marking territory. - a rare promotion
They lifted her up
after so many years in
the trenches toiling. - the cost of doing business
For labor, a chance
to reassess their worth. For
management, the same. - the 27-course meal
An abundance of
forks, plates, servers and wines cross
our table nonstop. - flowers as lovely as her
I bring you roses
with the hope they bloom like our
new relationship. - backyard agenda
We float along in
the quiet pool, staring up
at the lazy clouds. - downtown saturday morning
The cyclists search for
a brunch spot, while the homeless
man keeps to his bench. - the lessons of 9/11
Twenty years of wars.
Do we terrorize others
more than they do us? - kitchen harmony
Me on the skillet,
her on the cutting board, a
dinner taking shape. - a pound of regret
Hospitals stretched to
their limits. But we can’t be
bothered to wear masks. - the inevitable nth wave
It was predicta-
ble. It was preventable.
It is laughable. - uncomfortably numb
Becoming inured
to death is like being dead
inside already. - escape rooms themes
A flooded basement.
Human trafficking boxcar.
Brunch with the in-laws. - best wishes and gritted teeth
We’re so happy for
your continued success and
its many blessings. - new job, still remote
He sat in the same
living room, flipped on the same
laptop, but earned more. - the freedom of fiction
Writing about life’s
many strange things whether they’re
about you or not. - death of a waffle house
Smothered, padlocked and
kneecapped. The mourners brought their
flasks. One guy threw up. - her mighty garden
Raised beds filled with all
kinds of vegetables, some tall
and some buried deep. - autumnal pause
A breather between
the sweltering summer and
a gloomy winter. - the fixer-upper
They spent weekends on
painting and sanding and trips
to the big box store. - broadway bind
Hours and days spent
in rehearsal, for minutes
in the lone spotlight. - some pig
Tallulah wants time
in the sun and a small mud
patch to call her own. - man vs. city hall
They levy the tax.
I fight back. They hold fast. I
keep fighting. They win. - fall getaways 2021
A last jaunt to the
beach, maybe a cabin, but
not the ICU. - throwing away their vote
Why are we afraid
to make voting easier
for Americans? - phrased in the form of a questionable haiku
Who knew hiring
a game show host would be so
politically fraught? - search engine doctorates
Everyone you know
is an expert in any-
thing and everything. - our relationship with tv
We’re pickier and
more voracious, enchanted
and obligated. - halloween or dystopic nightmare?
I’m going to be
the prettiest handmaiden
in all Gilead. - relationship detente
When both sides reach an
understanding that no more
growth is possible. - the ted lasso dilemma
Can we meet harshness
with kindness, outright cruelty
with some empathy? - feels like fall
A simple drop in
temperature warms my heart and
brings out my cool side. - in a few syllables
I can reinvent
my unremarkable self
into something grand. - anxiety is the thief
Anxiety is
the thief that robs us of our
sense of well-being. - the lump in the window
The furry lump does
not stir, does not see me (or
maybe does), snoozing. - the laziest pickpockets
They reach unseen in
wallets and purses to shop
for pizza and gas. - delta variant by five
Stadiums full of
fans packed tightly to enjoy
their football fever. - legacies of columbus
Globalization
and all the wonders and hor-
rors that come with it. - the legend of the haunted hardee’s
Ghosts roam the booths, all
dead from hunger and lack of
attentive service. - the probable son
Doesn’t care for his
parents, nor for the fractured
legacy to boot. - prick or treat
Vaccines as either
bold trick to ensnare victims
or free pass to fun. - the real ongoing pandemic
Why aren’t we making
a bigger deal out of the
risks of climate change? - eternally maternally
Mama bear cares for
her cubs so very dearly.
Watch out for those claws! - ascendiary
Each day can be a
mountain. We may not peak, but
we can still climb some. - clickety click clack
Abandoned office
registers the lone sound of
gently tapped keyboards. - stats for life
BP, temperature,
cholesterol (good and bad),
weight, pulse and pain scale. - costume dilemma
Silly or sexy,
pop culture or historic,
homemade or store bought. - busy busy busy
Burning the candle
at both ends, in the middle
and from deep inside. - what lurks beneath, above and all around us
Death and horror got
nothin’ on Halloween this
year. Scary shmary. - can society?
Can democracy
survive without committing
to the public good? - fight or flights of fancy
The dialogue on
mental health gets louder with
each passing daydream. - the fear and now
Between depression
and anxiety, I’ve got
past and future locked. - and not feel so alone
We talk openly
about our mental struggles
so others may learn. - true confessions
I admit weakness.
Is vulnerability
a strength? I hope so.
• • •
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