Remove Her

let her do it;
it will be easy

her deft hands hide
curled in pockets
deep with secrets

trust, she has the
tools necessary

scissors gleam
apparent, you may
believe she smiles

bits of her will
fall from you,
her flashing teeth
clamped on memories

no scar visible;
let her do it

Battered

pale fingers push
towhead strands

she avoids eye contact;
preoccupied with
everything other than
what she might see in mine

above her luminescent,
lovely cheek, blood
beneath the surface
marks the spot where
he loves her best

her beauty is wasted;
i wish she knew

Poppies

poppies nod

brave morning

they unfurl 

trusting light 

tangerine crepe

tissue-paper thin 

their core

darkness 

exposed

to heal 

beneath 

brilliance 

:hrr

Later

twist in the grass
curves, angles tight

damp earth beneath
sky flickers light

she's like a chigger
evil little mite

takes a piece of you
one sweet bite

hrr 072708

What It Is

leaving the bathroom this morning
I saw covers pulled over his shoulders;
he wants to sleep a little longer

up early, I need solitude,
coffee and frequently a pen and paper;
there are things to sort

this morning I dreamt of you,
I have for years and
sometimes they've come true;
it worries and astounds me

he says it's indicative
of how much time
I spend on others;
too much, he says,
it isn't healthy
in the dream, you talked
from the opposite end of
a rotary telephone,
the hard black receiver
cupped your face like a hand

I sensed it was mine and
listened because its what I do;
you always have a lot to say
even in my dreams

you posed a jumbled question,
something that I couldn't hear;
while the line was still
I answered - unable to stop

words tumbled out like
the black numbers printed
on a dial plate, 1, 3, 7, 9

I looked down; the cloth
handset cord hung mid-air,
frayed and disconnected
like some discarded toy
children use for make-believe

indicative of
what it is

hrr 072608

Grief

in the curled photograph
she stands beside a waterfall,
supple brown as a sapling
pulling forward from
his outstretched hand

she smiles joy, her eyes
a brilliant echo of
forest's endless green

his face reflects hers;
light ricochets between
like sun through leaves

hope visible as
dark stone shining
wet beneath their feet

grief arrives this morning;
three years, five months late

she leans into the sorrow
of things missed;
the man in the photograph
gone before she was
able to remember

it is the saddest part
of losing him

Dance of Intention

belly softens
undulation exorcises
undigested sorrow

she sweats soul,
breathes pulse

happy beats
wave inward
expand out

soles seek earth
hands grasp stars
sacred hips spin

darkness to light