Hospice

All she really wanted
was a green apple and a salt shaker
under the old tree in the back yard
where she would swing

All she could remember
were childhood days
and Brooks passing the picture window
on his way to the door after work
in the evening

All she said to me
was "I hurt"
so I rubbed her back and held her hand
until the morphine worked its magic
and she never hurt or spoke again

Now she's all I ever think of
as I sit in her chair
see her face in my dreams
how I wish she was sitting
in her empty porch swing
with a green apple and a salt shaker. ...read more

Feral

I watched her prowl the dunes
easy feline stealth
blend into shadows
find her next victim
come up mouth bloody
have a meticulous bath
nap oblivious ...read more

Treasure

Beached and bedraggled
Bleached by the fray
High tide decides
If we wash up to stay

Shattered and scattered
Mere human debris
Adrift and aware
Slowly etched by disease

Jagged and faded
Treasures twinkling in foam
Pausing to be discovered
And taken home ...read more