just who was it
that held your office door
closed
so the light of day
could be stabbed
out of you
for sheer greed
could it have been
an unmasked friend
in on the take
I still shudder to think of the killing force
that took your breath
away
your surprise
still swims in front of my eyes
decades have gone by now
I still crave names
and lies revealed
because it should never be
this easy
to escape
punishment
Mar 6
Mar 6, 2026 at 3:27 PM UTC
Byrdes Collection,
The Ruby
discontinued
like our years together
I tried to replace
the lost and broken pieces
they mollified me
for a while
those memories
of us
so young
never anticipating
our demise
I see the pieces
in our old china cabinet
every once in a while
they speak to me
quietly
collecting dust
Mar 3
Mar 3, 2026 at 4:30 PM UTC
I had already said “goodbye. “
as you slipped away millimeter by millimeter
I was the voice on the phone every week
who you no longer remembered
I called for Dad
To show my love for his steadfast care
who was there for all versions of you
in my dreams, you were still
brewing your favorite
strong black coffee
I’d wake up with a start
only to remember
You no longer drank coffee
Or made sense anymore
sadness wrapped itself in my sheets
our disagreements dissolved
into the night
I gulped back your cruel fate
When on Christmas Day
you slipped away
Relief to your beleaguered body
bittersweet loss for Dad
I chose your final outfit,
this demure floral shift
that had become a favorite of yours
in those last bed-bound years
a complete reversal in style
from your prior bold fashions
A frigid January Monday on the Gulf Coast
came the time to lay you to rest
stained glass windows
picture board memories
compiled through hours of shifting boxes
your beloved French chansons played
for my German-born Mama
Dad shared stories with a small chapel audience
I couldn’t find my voice
the weight of death sat on my heart
you had always wanted to be buried in Germany
as we watched the attempts to lower the
casket
into the frozen Texas ground
from the backseat of a rental car
my teary face reflected in the side mirror
we left the cemetery
with single red roses in hand
Auf Wiedersehen, Mama
Jan 16
Jan 16, 2026 at 3:56 PM UTC
constantly changes
Who I am
relevant to
plus or minus
Who is added
to my world
Who leaves
by choice
or fate
a simple math
that equals
all the days
of my life
#itiswhatitis
Jan 8
Jan 8, 2026 at 3:41 PM UTC
another agent
another commander
with promises to find
that detail
missed
by every investigation team
so far
the main suspect
is still free to do
as he pleases
your death
yet
another memory
in his life’s story
that’s 23 years longer
than yours
Mar 7, 2025
Mar 7, 2025 at 2:24 PM UTC
above the fray
is always something
I'd try to say
mine are so slight
padding them
back in the day
always helped
the mirage of broadness
even though the load
was so little
then
in a blur
life was stacked
and packed
so high and wide
now my shoulders
ache at night
held any which way
above the fray
Sep 14, 2024
Sep 14, 2024 at 2:10 PM UTC
it seems
you somehow slithered away
from an earthbound
judgement day
make no mistake
very soon
I Will Finally Know Your Name
Two decades of
investigations surrounded
that fatal altercation
What did you feel
as you stabbed
him
repeatedly
and then just
walked away
Do regrets hound you
in the middle of the night
I can only hope
the devil lies in wait
for your final days
somehow
you slithered away
from an earthbound
judgment day
Apr 27, 2022
Apr 27, 2022 at 2:42 PM UTC
fans blowing
all around me
little bits of light
peaking around corners
of the room
keeping it from
pitch black
blanket toss tango
piled between us
too hot
too cold
tired
just
not sleepy
myriad of sensations
magnified in a wakeful state
knots on the fabric of the sheets
didn’t I just buy these?
my knee hurts
is this a hot flash?
random unlinked thoughts
dance through my mind
as light rhythmic snoring
serenades me
from the other side
of the bed
turns into my lullaby
and I fade out ….
Jun 20, 2018
Jun 20, 2018 at 6:04 PM UTC
into my bleak early Spring
afternoon
this mist of sticky juice
my normally clogged nose
inundated with bold proof
of lurid promises
from citrus groves
bathed by sunlight
on a foreign soil
while my entire body
sanguinely sings
your praises
and my fingers
continue to peel
away until every morsel
is revealed
and devoured
Mar 22, 2018
Mar 22, 2018 at 6:58 PM UTC
those fruits
always boasted
such sweet promises
every summer
they arrived
at the fruit stand
in town
wrapped in foreign writing
my dreamy eyed little girl
nibbled them
with red stained lips
she asked
her gramps
one summer afternoon
if they could plant
their own cherry tree
so he took her to a spot
and together they did plot
to raise cherries by
the driveway
the pits took hold
in the rich soil
as they both thrived
tall and strong
it littered
the front
of her grandparent's house
with it's delicious bounty
we stood under the tree
every summer
we could come
as they rained down
upon us
still going strong
three decades later
although
we have not
been around
for a great long while
to delight in
this
sweet
red legacy
Nov 30, 2017
Nov 30, 2017 at 12:31 PM UTC