mesh of veins

mesh of veins

on the white of an eye

night lightning

previously unpublished

under the skin

of old furniture

thick juice

previously unpublished

through the cracks

in the veneer

raw flesh

previously unpublished

September chill

September chill

the future begins

too early

first published in Presence, July 2017

bragging about

her weekend plans

girl Friday

first published in Presence, July 2017

her neck

like a stalk

flower of one night

previously unpublished

in moonlight

in moonlight

the snail blazes

its own trail

previously unpublished

you laugh as though

you’ve got death over with

summer rain

previously unpublished

wherever I go

you follow me

gibbous moon

previously unpublished

summer evening

summer evening

I teach your name

to the forest echoes

previously unpublished

end of summer

I hold two apples

instead of her breasts

previously unpublished

bitter coolness

one summer turns a kid

into a coarse goat

previously unpublished

midsummer evening

midsummer evening

the strong smell

of a jogging girl

previously unpublished

plain as porridge

flat as pancakes

grandparents’ home

previously unpublished

oversensitive

I like to be touched

by the summer wind

previously unpublished

flipping a page

flipping a page

of the mazurka score

willow-tree wind

first published in The Heron’s Nest, June 2017

the smell of jazz

in the sounds of cigarettes

July heat

previously unpublished

stewing

in our own juice

fallen leaves

previously unpublished

in a cowboy hat

in a cowboy hat

and a flowery dress

gender scarecrow

previously unpublished

from the grey sky

to the grey earth

strings of rain

previously unpublished

November drizzle

streets smelling of putrescine

and cadaverine

previously unpublished