Song Sparrow
Predawn, the song sparrow
sings his traditional ballad.
It is the leitmotif
of my life.
Category / Poetry
Well-Hinged
Bivalve shell—
two perfect halves
tightly meeting
edge to edge
Island Home
The dark
harbors quiet trust
Wind croons through high trees
and joins the tides
Big Sur Monastery
quiet sky
my heart
same color
I Am a Temporary Life Form
I am a temporary life form
Here on the third place out
I try to keep fed and to keep warm.
On a Scale
Two girls
in a grocery store
took turns weighing their heads
on a scale.
From L’Italia to La Merica
From your mountain village
you looked this way
in a dream that filled
your whole belly
with food and children.
The Little Angel
Great grandfather Angelo dreamed
of America, the beautiful land
where Count Bettoni
could not tell him “faster!”
Double Wedding Ring
Grandmother,
what secrets did you whisper
to your quilting friends
in hushed tones, lest the menfolk hear?
As If
in her sixth year
cabbage palms
and knife fights
replaced
long bike rides