Drizzle

random drops land on sparsely covered head as I walk wet
sidewalk in black leather still dusted with the flour from
yesterday’s shopping when I walked on the parking lot aftertaste
from eating the chili that was handed to me in the store she was
thankful that I stopped eager for some company in the aisle of an
antiseptic grocery store that I don’t go to very often usually going
to the big store right in the next lot which has bins of movies that I
like to sort through maybe finding a bargain and buying it and then
heading back out into the lot zipping up the leather jacket because
it is probably raining in this dismal October

Riding

I zip around the corner of the sidewalk
corners are the best part
voice humming motor sounds
I am on a snowmobile
I am travelling extremely fast

at school in the morning
---------rows of desks
---------chewing gum
---------forming the gum into a cube in my fingers
---------sent to the hallway
---------conversation with principal

coming home for lunch
jump on the skidoo
ridefastallthewayhome

park machine
get off
enter warm house for

lunch

before the long snowy ride back

with gum in pocket

Cleo Poem #3

plaintive insistant
your cries come from outside the door
a calling
reverse siren

“I belong inside
after
being outside all night
the cold air like a blanket of teeth”

I let you in and you slink quickly to the food dish
eating a few bites
and then find a place to lick and preen
you come to me for some touch

“let me know that you are still my friend”

my hand drops and pets
and scratches
unreplacable
luxurious
living
warm
supple
smooth
delicious
downy
fur

U2 on Youtube

running

because he can

over bridge
across stage-----up ramp

immense structure like a giant space spider
dwarfs singer

he stops running and sings in
broken phrases his voice
a clarion call

video screens switch to show picture of woman in Burma

I sit on computer chair and
stare at smudged screen

am I there among the roses feeding on their every move and blip
or am I a webcam inside myself staring at my smudged reflection
on the computer screen?

a tear fills the rim of my eye singing “One love”

where are we running?
in circles?

in or out?

are we virtually there yet?

Dara

blond hair lifts leaping
a blur of high precision
slams ball through defence

Dream of a Dream

a balloon hovers over the

massive forces
choir along the back
--------men-------women
--------------in black and white
---------------------folders ready

orchestra in tuxedoes bows poised

organ piano

podium waits for me as I approach
power in my hand
lifting the baton

the balloon lifts, carrying my brain and
I can do nothing right

tune to the oboe’s steady tone

organist’s face is a question mark

now tune to the organ

---------sorry

choir shuffles and sighs looking longingly at the
balloon with my brain

it changes from yellow to red to black

a loud pop is heard as
I wake from a dream of a dream of a dream of a dream…

Writer

flanked by sports banners in a gymnasium grey shawl
standing behind podium head tilted forward hair falling
down over face white bracelet gleaming hand carves
statues of light emerge from air black rims on tip of
nose bubbles of confident presence emerge floating and
touching brushing hair away from eyes allowing sight
and sound to enter and emerge like a low husky voice
sounding the depths of a murky sea