POETRY: 2021
Poems published in literary journals in 2021
Published in Halfway Down the Stairs,
September 1, 2021
I held her hand cupped within mine,
her brown fingers curled in permanent rest
as I applied a fresh coat of enamel to her nails.
Published in Autumn Sky Poetry Daily,
March 16, 2021
When my youngest was just three,
or maybe four,
I took her to the dentist
one morning in early November.
As we left the house, she plucked
a bright red lollipop
from her bag of Halloween treats
and held it out, posing
a silent question.
Published in Mocking Heart Review,
February 2021
I plumb the depths
of all we do not know
with unspeakable terror,
find a new path
toward viral mass destruction
every night as I sleep.
Published in Coffin Bell Journal,
January 2021
You want to know what fear
looks like? Then look
into my eyes, or imagine you can
as I sit alone in my home for the 33rd
day, as I read the final post
of a friend looking forward
to the birth of a grandchild
Published in Coffin Bell Journal,
January 2021
My daughter and I laugh
at my muddled comments,
my questions asked anew on repeat
because I forget not just
the answer but that I have already
inquired about schoolwork, or dinner,
or the weather, and cannot remember
Published in Coffin Bell Journal,
January 2021
The woman watched as her husband took his last
breath.
Published in Coffin Bell Journal,
January 2021
I wonder if the house finches know
that they own the yard this year—
the cheery red-headed finches,
the cardinals, sparrows, mourning doves
and the large lone pigeon who began visiting
last week as I fell ill, to peck beneath the feeder.
All of them.