July 4th

against an overcast sky
patriotic fireworks
bloom like early rain

Desperately Seeking Calm

gray thunderclouds
unleash lightning and rain
but the mental ones
give way to no wind

Rain Walk

into the gentle rain
the mist a delicate veil
the world seems a slow heartbeat
sending rhythmic indolence
to my marching toes

Magnolias in Mid-April

beaten by a week’s harsh rain
magnolia blossoms
wither and brown
while budding green leaves
make their attempts
at succor

A sensitive joy

exhausting to live
nursing a soap bubble
when a stray wind or word
can pop a fleeting happiness

The City at 2AM

at last, the lashing rain abates
the howling wind creeps away
tail between its legs
and in the distance
a truck treads and parts slow
puddles in urban lullaby
windows fogged, and silent

Tension Headache

deep within my skull
there is a fist between my eyes
clenching on a node of neurons

they spark like faulty wire
and paralyze me between
callousness and indifference

Keeping Kindness

I failed myself
by letting a bitter tinge
eat away at my kindness.

But from where can it spring
when its source,
the goodwill of others,
is sorely lacking?

Play-biting?

nips for me to learn
the intricacies
of cat-speak

Thoughts on the 9/11 Museum

over a decade past
and I forget the day
but to be reminded
is no personal
catharsis