a string of perfect moments
like jewels:
trees feathering the marble sky,
the murmur of a light summer rain,
and droplets winking on the periphery--
tiny, lamp-lit stars

i watch, sidelined
their friendship blossoming
i introduced them

skirts a-twirl
winged fairies waltz
on the bobbing fuschia vine

arms out, head askew
she twirls and twirls and twirls

powder of blue blossoms
shadows falling on pavement

books shelved, like small trees
wait patiently, eternally

the rose, big-haired southern belle
flaunts her brassy scent
satisfied with herself

distant mountains, stabbed
by silhouetted firs, bleed
feeble blue

one dandelion rises from the lawn
a dictator preparing to conquer
the heathen masses

a flesh-colored band-aid
curled in the grass
its sterility compromised

Delilah Mae

new life unfurls its toes
labored and wobbly,
but with a serenity
that assures me i am young
and she is old, older than the
first midwife, whose hands
delivered every spark
she is my teacher
my subject to adore
all the knowledge in the world
at her pin-size fingertips
as awareness seeps in
she will forget
but i will remember

my niece
bounding to see me
all the celebrity i need

i dreamed of you
washed clean of ugly
there was only love

he has gone
i am full of empty

you walked away with my soul in your pocket
and now i am vacant