Oceanside Resort (May/June 2015 issue of Pilcrow & Dagger)
Love hangs like a piñata
as I slide a note with my number
and a twenty for my dinner
to a waitress named Wendy
and wait for her reply.
Tourists arrive in sunblock,
vacation clothes, and big hats
that disguise who they are.
They pass the bat
back and forth, blindly
swinging until Wendy
returns with my change.
Breaths are held, eyes are narrowed
and finally she says
she gets off at eleven
come back then and we’ll see.
I come back and she’s gone.
The tourists leave satisfied
they don’t know the scale.
Star-crossed (May/June 2015 issue of Pilcrow & Dagger)
On a downtown sidewalk
our paths cross at a right angle.
You, a stranger, leaving the grocer
with fresh pork, mint, and bread for dinner.
Me, from the adjacent street,
bottle of wine under arm,
a box of chocolates,
and a hope for love.
You slow down as we pass
but I don’t see you.
I’m looking up, tracking
a soaring eagle
that turns out
to be a buzzard.
Kiss and Tell (July 2015 issue of Pilcrow & Dagger)
I’m sure I’m not the first
to offer my kingdom for a kiss
without really meaning it.
Love is like
a giant kaleidoscope,
swirling with colors
as long as you
just
keep
moving.
Don’t stop
or you
might feel
the needle.
Feel anything real?
Karma is a constant
companion, paying you
back by hiding your
keys when you’re late
to pick up the kids.
Picture a hotel bar in Kokomo
chatting up a pretty pink
cashmere sweater.
You wouldn’t stand a chance.
Kafka couldn’t create
a more perfect chaos. So
crawl home, put the money
back in the bank
and leave the dreaming
to the dreamers.
poet james escher 