The Niceties

the pen with more possibilities than I have words to describe it 
day of sunshine except for the shadows
inauguration let's do this with our eyes closed
bluer by the moments we keep hidden from others
dual citizenship stamped from somewhere to nowhere
the falsities the same as the niceties
when you put it that way don't expect me to believe in you 
woodpile stacked only to be unstacked
blame me if it makes you feel taller

This Counts As Exercise

rushing around my to-do list with no time to breathe

birdsong lifting the ice

tapping my foot this counts as exercise

fake news everything that's not complimentary

a nonstop headache for the next four years

false stream or raging river the alleged "p" tapes

icicles crashing after balancing my checkbook

mlk's birthday let the march continue

lost again following my muse

I still talk to you knowing you can't answer

this heavy burden cedars weighted down by ice

"letting it roll off my back" the steam power of a hot shower

monarch butterfly too soon for the end of my walk

evening light the last cut into the flesh of a strawberry

flooded fields the slow crawl of water fringed with ice

end of january the lumps of oatmeal stuck in my throat

bookstore sale the poetry section down to one shelf

2nd of february the groundhog never comes out to see its shadow

a brief shower the dogwood covered with mardi gras beads

newspaper headlines blowing thru the yard the dog not sure what to bring back

superbowl sunday the streets become quiet after the snow has fallen

early drought dried leaves in the closed stall of a carwash

between hailstones the broken stems of daisies still in bloom

fallen tree one ant being carried on the back of another