now(here)
strange(r)
i donât recollect
that chair being there
yesterday whereÂ
it is todayÂ
its back against
the rail like
a former lover
leaning into
my lifeÂ
and that planterÂ
with the orchidÂ
was not erect
the wind did
not force either
i wonder howÂ
is that possible
then i remember
looking through
the wind-
ow the thickÂ
of your lips appearÂ
to greet me
i wipe with windex
the imprintÂ
on the other side
between the ex-
terior glass and screen
had this beenÂ
your initial visitation
without invitation
i would have freaked
between your lips
movement and shadowÂ
are numbers,
which are stillÂ
the most effective
way for youÂ
to reach me.
dragonfly
i couldnât understand
why he kept showing up
like he was man of the house
in my space on my time
in his own way by way
of things we discussed
i am movingââliterally
movingââmy belongings
into the car and re-
locating to another
apartment complex and
this dragonfly hovers
there are no nearby
lily pads, pools, or ponds and
all i know about thisÂ
insect is that it looks
like it can sting worse than a
bee and it wonât let me be
and again and again
same scenario
different dayÂ
different spot
one steadies in front of
the windshield and
leads me off the lot
when it flies away
i let it goââfiguratively
then i look for a book
to help me deal withÂ
the departed and
one of the first things i
encounter is this movieÂ
titled dragonfly.
simplicity
now  i am
beginning to see
if it were not  just
that dragonfly and
its omnipresence
with a water garden
not a pleasance
i would see no-
thing.
if it were not  just
this feather tethered
to the heartâs part
of my gown
in my home where
birds walk no ground
i would see no-
thing.
if it were not  just
this lamp within my reach
rhythmically blinking
its own speech
i would see no-
thing.
if it were not  just
words too familiar
to be faint written by
those with whom he
did not acquaintÂ
i would see no-
thing.
but now iâve begun
to see (some)things.
the gift
yesterday,
i asked God
to reveal why
you are hereââ
looming like some
sightless speechless
fixture floating
reminders to me
(whenever i worry)
of whatâs buriedâŚ
in the Bible.Â
last night,
that photo of you
was in my dream
i was studying it
the way i used to onÂ
my laptop screen
you slumpedÂ
your head jumpedÂ
through the framed glassÂ
and your eyes gazedÂ
at me intently.
neither your departure
in 3-d nor the hollywood
horror scene phased me.
(slow fade to black)
itâs daylight
we are on the bed
shades are drawnÂ
you hold me close
and hand me a small box.
(the Director cuts)
before i wakeÂ
i wonder âring
or casket?âÂ
then i realizeÂ
i have receivedÂ
a gift, which is
the answer.
archetypes
when i think of
february 14
2 things come
to mind: my
motherâs birthday,
and the time
you called me
while i was working
to say âhappy
valentineâs day,
with loveâ
wanting to celebrate
i scan amcâs movie
list hoping
to live through
the love
lives of others
one called
the photograph
opens today and
sounds relativeââ
to us and i do
what probably
no one else
wouldââi go solo
isaac portrayed by
rob morgan narrates
based on a single
photo of the woman
he loves
like you, she
leaves life young,
like he, i hold on to
what has gone
they had 1 child
as in the one you
wanted between us
their daughter
issa rae chooses
lakeith stanfield
despite the distance
between he and she
(like you and me)
i see 11:11 often
knowing Hebrews
i think of my one
photograph of you
wish iâd done like
issa rae and maybe
in my next life-
time Sarah with you
as my Abraham.
when i pick up my BibleÂ
to revisit their story
i find the realÂ
clincher is their sonâsÂ
name: it is Isaac.
the luncheon
i almostÂ
missed youââtoday
after viewingÂ
derrik adamâs
jacobâs ladder
exhibit at theÂ
peabody essex museum
i walked alongÂ
the street in solitudeââ
no semblance
of youâŚ
it was lunch time
so i entered the
red line cafĂŠÂ
ordered a wrap
and sat inÂ
remembrance
of youâŚ
when i lookedÂ
across the table
for two, then
through the wind-
ow  hello
by lionel richie
came âŚ(a)crossÂ
the air  waves
and i feltÂ
the straight of my
lips curve likeÂ
a moon crescent.Â
numbers
the series keeps appearing
i would think to see a shrink
if not for the book of Numbers,
your love for figures, the friend
who said pay attentionââi wouldÂ
be threading mismatched patch-
work instead of seamlessly sewing patterns.
