The temperature is rising
you give me fever

while bringing on thunder
flashes of lightning and rain

I credit that **** Dog Star
again

as well as a mad string
of bad luck

whit howland © 2021

The cool aquamarine water
ripples

as it kisses the skin
and we move like fish

fumbling

in self-induced darkness
to the cadence

Marco
Polo

accidents
collisions

as well as serendipitous
discovery

whit howland © 2021

The soft motor of the mop
purs

as it squirts more detergent
on the vinyl floor

after an up-down motion
across the surface

it's all over but the drying
and onto

vacuuming bathrooms
laundry and other tasks

that seem eternal much like
fungus

drudgery mundane chores
the stuff we do


to stay ahead of the storm clouds
torrential rains and smiting winds

I am really cleaning

whit howland © 2021

gray streaks
mixed with rusty brown

on a stretched canvas
tacked on a plaster wall

cash
on the barrel

and it's yours

at odds
the agreement

you got me for cheap
the dotted line

where I signed
I must have been sleeping

whit howland © 2021

black
as an asphalt nightmare

splashes of gray
vomits of rust

and fast cars
up and down the street

with fits of passion
make it all a blur

the world turns on it's
not your axis

and life swings to and fro
at its own tempo

protestations
notwithstanding

whit howland © 2021

Rhythmic
consistent

water babbling
over rocks

steady

clear blue
aqua or turqouise

white sand
below

uncluttered

clarity
transparency

coherent
and pure

whit howland © 2021