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War In Perpetuity (Poem)
we lucky ones never fought in war
but we all love some who have
war that people argue over
tell stories about or refuse to discuss at all
war that took them away and sent them back
kept part of them in some far away place
war that made strangers of their hearts
sent their eyes into a distant gaze
war that continues to wreck them
wrecks us all as we try and fail
knowing this we decide again and again
that we will fight wars and
fighters will come home or not
in the end none escape
we cannot seem to learn
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Should I Have Danced? (Poem)
I was young once never young enough
to call myself a flower
dance barefoot in the grass
my lover wove garlands of clover
tossed them at my head
I threw them back at her laughed
within a year she was dead
I imagined I would follow
yet now here I am
picking clover on the hillside
missing her still
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She Had Enough (Poem)
she swept her words into a heap
left them there on the living room floor
trudged up the hill to live alone with her silence
no one would notice them anyhow
they’d slam into the house like always
not even bother to wipe their dirty boots
demand their hot supper and cold tea
she wouldn’t be there to care
no more caring for these ungrateful men
they didn’t care to hear anything from her mouth
good bad or just plain tired didn’t matter they never listened
she’d fetch cook do only for herself now
spin all the tales she could laugh within her head
but to all who knocked on her door relative or not
she’d give them nothing but a wordless stony stare
point them down the rise with one sharp finger
and as they left her porch
shut the door hard enough to be heard down the hill
