Cold Front

The sky pulls
a heavy blanket of clouds
over her head
hiding in bed today
shivering
while the rain leaks from
her kitchen faucet
and she moans
from some circulating depression.
She’s done this before and
we’ll weather this mood
until she’s feeling better
and brighter.

The Stampede

Lonely wide trail through the meadow…
A moose in the brush with broad antlers
runs out in front of me.
Spectacular.

Now another on the trail
and another
flowing in from all sides,
a herd of thousands thundering
a stampede
sweeps me away…

Mr. Laimbeer’s School Bus

1974 small private school
privileged to attend on scholarship
so many years ago
now through this old
black and white yearbook
memories flash with
stories to share.
Here on the kitchen page
we see cans of
Campbell’s chicken noodle soup
Mrs. Reiner heated in the pot
on the gas Vulcan stove for our lunches
alongside Mr. Williams and
Mrs. Tallo.
As good as the soup
I got at home,
as good as the soup my kids get
today.
But here the eighth grade posed
for their picture perched on top
of Mr. Laimbeer’s school bus
smiling and waving.
No way at my kid’s school
today.

January’s Mail

today’s mail heavy with
catalogs
bank statements
Xeroxed rejection letters
skids across the kitchen table
as I drop it
it was fun getting Christmas
cards last month
with hand-written notes
—well, some were printed on
computers—
but today the cards came down
and the walls are bare
tomorrow’s mail
more of the same coming

Hungry Dog

The argument breaks over the table
in waves pounding
the Rock Cornish game hens
to death
they were dry
preoccupied she
missed the timer
while the potatoes boiled over
on the burner
all before dinner
and now the gale blows
with warning flags posted
while the dog moans
for tidbits
at her feet.