when a bruised
moon

turns to luminescent
liquid

then vapor
or spray

you drive me mad

your essence
ingested

and now you
an image
a mood

live freely
in my head

Whit Howland © 2020

Red

the color that sets the world
ablaze

and begets
other idioms

like tongues
of flame

licking the walls
and poking
out of shattered windows

in a three alarm fire

Whit Howland © 2020

Blustery
and gray

branches rock back
and forth

wind whirling
leaves

and blowing through
chimes

uncluttered
and

words
sentences
unnecessary
where

paint and brush
will suffice

Whit Howland © 2020

the sky is rinsed
colorless

the sun fades unnoticed
but

was it really there

the grass that browned
in Fall

is still littered with brittle
leaves

and we float above
it all

knowing

the world is not necessarily
us


Whit Howland © 2020

As opposed to
10 dollars

we say something's better
when

you get it for cheap

but it's all about
the depreciation
over time

of the mind
not the thing

you bought on
impulse

10 cents

was it  a click
or a flip

of the dime
over the counter



Whit Howland © 2020

No one cares  about
what happened
after

the dark and stormy
night

about what was tossed
and lost
by the wind

pelted by the rain

it all gets written off
as disposable

words matter

choose them wisely

and spend the money

Whit Howland © 2020