snow

Sharp-edged
glittery
pocked and gray
seeping
into
its own hollows

skate

Snowbanks
walling the rink the skates
scraping
fighting
to keep her ankles firm
her nose cold but
her head arms fingers
toes warm the ice
hers
her people inside
occasionally
glancing out the kitchen
window at the daughter
who somehow knew
she was
a skater
good graceful beautiful

conversation in a car 3

As she turned up
the heat
U2 telling her
it was
a beautiful
day her heart her
head her groin her
breath short tight
shall
low twitchy
restless he turned
pushed
her hair
behind
her ear easy
quick
clumsy
so he could see
her face
he said
so everyone could see
how pretty
she was

conversation in a car 2

Before
the light
changed
she moved closer
and touched
the back of his neck
the way she thought
he liked it
with just
the tips
of her fingers she thought
about the jasmine
tea and something
else the way
he would have
gone home then
the way
he would have put
the key
into the door
the light
changing
as he walked
through.

gone

Tried
to see you
but you
were gone tried
to find you but
you were some
place else tried
to talk to
you
but you
couldn’t hear
saw you leave
the store, ran
to tell you
about
the blueberries but
you were
someone else

list

As she
wrote
(vegetables
voices
puddles
promises
books
butterflies
beer)
she hummed
a song
without words
out
of her head
and hands

last

He came
to her
as he had the first
time
years before
eyes wide
in the darkness
breathing her
in
out
in
his hands
saying she was
a beautiful
thing of glass
fragile
beneath
his fingers
swirling over
her edges
until
she vibrated
with
their
song

conversation in a car

As the light
changed and no
one noticed no
cars behind or in
front none to push
them along
or
to follow they
waited for
something
else
to happen a
flash or siren
or word
as one leaned
closer
to read
the silence
to maybe
learn why