“Woman, Free,” “Two in One,” and Untitled
Woman, Free The vanquished lay dead and dying, their chorus of groans and screams of no concern as he turned homeward, leaving the dozens and their…
An Ode to Post-Cold War Friendships of the Creative Nature
The ’97 Bank of America robbery was one of the last great patriotic crimes, attached to a real need and a real motive, in a real nation, the kind you…
“A Place Somewhere,” “Museum Poem,” “Winter Buries Them,” and Other Poems
A Place Somewhere The dream is the same no matter the night. There is a light, weak and blue, over a country house where nothing stirs, not even a…
“Domestic Violence,” “Depths of Disaffection,” “Buddy Buddy,” and Other Poems
Domestic Violence What an end. She’s stopped talking. She’s no longer responding. I don’t understand. I want To be understanding. Be polite, I say,…
“Growing Older” and “Coping”
Growing Older These lips once shed words carelessly, like leaves spilling from autumn trees, Shaken with nerves or swollen with pride, Soaking in…
“If I Were a Surprise,” “Hot Air Balloon,” “Homeward Bound,” and “Hammered”
If I Were a Surprise If I were a surprise, I would be the one that brought the tears to Emily's eyes. Her mom hustled her into the car with nary a…
Moths
I slept in the attic upstairs. Well, not upstairs; up a ladder. There were six children in our house and so the attic was converted into a room so…
“Yalta,” “Naked,” and “Bow Wow”
Yalta Miss Hooker says that I'm going to go to Hell if I don't stop all my sinning, the sins I can help, she means, since Adam and Eve sort of got me…
“Prison,” “Why?”, “Night,” and “You and I”
Prison I lie awake in the sarcophagus Mentally counting the pins struck in the numerous Voodoo dolls with their evil smiles and lolling heads the…
“A Complete Love of Damage,” “The Lobby, LaSalle Avenue,” and “Halves”
A Complete Love of Damage (A line from “Signs and More” by Noelle Kocot, 2016) In contrast to Aristotle's way of explaining nature, Galileo relied on…
