before my eyes adjusted he
was blind but always interested
in assisted vision via lenses
optics or religion – myopic greed
for glasses, cameras make beauty,
Hubble made the universe,
sacraments make soul – meanwhile
it’s “Kids, look out the window”

traveling into caves, you cannot
see your hand before your face

It takes guts to sell what’s hot and buy what’s not.

The rules have changed. Time for new tactics.

Yes, time, finally time, to cool the scorch
of her word “trite” about my “Love”
rose poster hanging in our dorm room.

another nurse I know and
you know what, nurses scare
me 1) they are so competent
and jump into action over
every crisis like it was
spurting red, code blue, while
I would stand and wonder
’til you died 2) they seem
to have nice homes, as
refugees from care, concern

five puzzle pieces momentarily
fit pleasing in a pattern, five
towns almost contiguous and
lots of driving from one territory
to the next – but the boundaries
couldn’t hold, one moved,
two changed high schools, three
found Jesus, and the linkage
loosened and dissolved – reunion
time, I didn’t recognize her face

tall gnomic presence in the
clay place play face glad
day sad day utterances sift
with rainbow luster over every
surface gossip spun on wheels
like Rumpelstiltskin guess my
name shift my gaze crack my
glaze a sudden puff of crystals
and perfume, computer screen
still lit in private room