You Say Tomato

the word is sun and warm

in the fallen leaves 

crispy carpeted grass

only green beneath plum trees

where I have watered them

almost every evening

before I check to see

if they had their meds yet

Mom and Dad I put to bed

they stare into the gloam

glad for the moon

So Creative

Wind in the drying shrubs near the house.

Water is my thought.

The shadows are not mine.

Exactly when did this dream stay.

 

Inside the Dream

 Inside the dream skip

scoot over Mr. Dream

over to your side 

of the bed your covers

It is cold here at night

blackberries thump thud

to the dried grasses 

nobody with a mouth

Company, Companion

So don't tell me
you've been sitting there
all this time
looking at dust mice
by the rag rug
I meant to clean up later
but thinking about space
is hard with the virus
hanging around just
hanging around

messing up my thoughts
plus my thighs and all
knees and ankles

Were they ever working
this poorly before
even up and down
the stairwells
in Deady?

--those nights
with a spray bottle
of 65 plus the extension mop
whatever it was called
all those months ago

These Days

These days I see you turning
What is only a few seconds
in French this turns to mush

What I see you doing is flying
Or pecking something a tree
at the tops way up there

My nights have you near
So it is not as disturbing
but wait just wait for me

When My Mind Rests

When my mind rests
I cannot rest

The night cools down
so fast

Their shirts look clean
but I smell a nervous smell

Poison takes over
the unit

Of course the strong know
many things

What opens up
so beautiful

They talk
about their hands

First Of All

The valley is a wide smile just like
the one you had in the photo.  I could only see
the gap between my teeth when I looked
laughing a year ago
into the fake space between us.

The oily leaves of oaks shine
under the windy sun. How did I get here
how did I get this far from the dry stubble
that's underneath the trees
underneath the shade so interesting
so cool and so delirious
next to our mouths.