savannah lamb
(dahlonega to delby )

her husband left her
but not before
imposing himself
one last time
one last humiliation
one last beating
she hears whisperings
sees averted eyes
so she hops a train
dahlonega to delby
its a new place
a new start
a fresh face with no past
living in the safety of strangers

what is the color of a cloudy day

is it the color of a day
with undertones of pewter & lead
where monochromatic clouds threaten
to rain down tears at any moment
is it the color of a day blanched of any color
where shades of gray dominate
with maybe just a blush of sepia
is it the color of a corpse like visage that is delby
blending into a gray/green ocean
that itself fades into a distant colorless forever
is it the sum of all these and maybe more
that make up- the color of a cloudy day


delby is the town depicted in this poem a small harbor town

dragon dreams


one night as matilda slept
a sulfury mist arose within her dream
in which a great dragon appeared
majestic & fearsome
gently it lowered it's head
matilda losing all sense of fear
first touches it
then caresses it
sensing an invitation
she climbs up on its back
as it rises to take flight
rising up―  delby's lights fade away
as they climb higher & higher
rising up till surrounded by stars
they swoop and sail
above an ever shrinking world
hours pass as they cavort
among the clouds & stars
till the dream ends & matilda awakens
to find opaline dragon scales
lying scattered on her bed

welcomed in the comfort of old familiar arms

after fifteen years together
it was a fight that separated them
an argument- a silly one at that
drunken spiteful words & a slap
that reddened his face
a slap that set him off to roam
anna mourned his leaving
she regretted the words she said
she still feels the sting on her fingertips
still sees the look he made as he turned away
it invades her every dream
a decade has passed
thomas has returned to delby
older wiser & most of all sober
expecting no forgiveness
he avoids the places he knows she might be
but in a small town avoidance is near impossible
the inevitable is bound to happen
give it time- they'll meet