Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Portrait


Standing in the garden facing the four o’clock sun,
the roses drawn up to their full height,
you approach me from behind, press a piece
of paper and a pencil in my hand and ask me

to draw you a picture. I hold the translucent
sheet up to the light and traced the scene
which slowly soaks through, the proudest
rose bending at its apex due to weight of

its oversized pink blossom, petals spread
by the onset of autumn and swaying gently
in the breeze.  Above it, the soft glow of the
sun seemingly just inches away.

Between them, the silhouettes of distant
evergreens cut across at a slight angle.
Satisfied that there’s nothing left to
capture, I scrawl “The Confession” across

the top of it and hand it back to you.
With a grateful smile, you fold it in three
and slide it into your back pocket before
anointing the rose with your green watering can.


Many thanks for the nomination. I nominate: Classic NYC Story

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Upon Turning Five


Today the clouds mill above us, more white
than grey, content to shuffle their feet,
taciturn and glowering, heads down,
clammy palms buried in deep pockets.

Not at all like the day you were born,
unseasonably warm, fresh sun slathered
on elm leaves which refused to turn their coats
out beside the hospital window, casting your

first colors upon your tiny hands as you slept
upon my chest, gentle green mittens caressing
the base of my neck, not holding so much as
confirming you were where you wanted to be.

This morning was no different, really, though
your feet were on the ground, hands around my
waist, a smile and closed eyes pressed to my hip
before you scurried out the door to school.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

October Showers, 6AM


Morning had not yet fit its fingers through the
cracks in the shutters nor was its reflection
visible in the face of the alarm clock,

but I could hear its footsteps in the stairwell,
the soft steps of autumn,  creeping with an
inconsistent rhythm so cold were its toes.