the girl’s braids flew around her head like:
(a) helicopter blades.
(b) she’d been slapped.
for a mouth, teeth set in sockets, with a hissing grind
of spikelets biting the air? Dip one.
She/I feel/s a chimera leaving the eider duck. Dip three.
While still in the embryo, separating the body
Alan, take this million bucks
Strip the paint off the good wood of your dreams
And tattoo the tedious days.
Debris lay underfoot. Overgrown weeds
scraped my legs as I streamed past;
recalling the song of bullets
that whirred in the wind.
unbridled // where we can seek asylum // Dear Mother // please
teach me how to hold the sorrow // without losing my arms
May we always recognize the multitude of gifts that surround us.
May our homes, schools, and communities be filled with the wisdom
and optimism that reflect a generous spirit.
Some say love means
putting all your eggs
in one basket.
If they all break,
can the basket remain intact?