Friday, October 5, 2012

Were You My Sister?


after cyst removal surgery
she felt the spasms, watched the dark
mass slither down the bowl

she was not surprised, she
knew she would lose you, fourth
child — Esperanza de Felicidad

she would go on
to bear a fifth, a second boy, despite
the doctors warning

but no, no second abortion —
remembering the bleeding after the first
so nearly killed her & would have

negated three more of us —
she disregarded their male
pleadings, taught John & me to read

while growing David, yes, a
happy child but not
you, my sister

Thursday, October 4, 2012

#

new grapes


is the crossroads

space or line
end open or closed

square or
unfinished tri-
angle or parallelogram

who’s X, who’s O
are you playing across or
diagonal or down

let’s choose
where to cross
and how: checkers jump
or knight’s move

of letters is it L, T, or D
P, Q, or R
F or H, O, J
C or B, U or I
Y, X, or wannabe E

below is 3

common broom in flower, Cytisus scoparius