Fall Comes To A Football Town

The band brasses through the Star Spangled Banner.
The PA crackles a prayer.
The whole town is there
sweating blood
in the stands.

Cheerleaders "Go Team!" and tumble
through kick-off, passes, and fumbles.
Half-time brings
the homecoming queen
to be crowned

and kissed
hard and hot
on the mouth

by the quarterback -
Touchdown!

Somebody finally scored.

For The Tuesday Platform at Real Toads

Language Of A Lost Love

piano
legato

mezzo
mezzo forte

allegro
crescendo

rest

For Play It Again (A Word with Laurie) at Real Toads

Above Ground

last day above ground
each breath
a poem

A jisei for dVerse.

Tell Me, Tiger

Tell me, Tiger, what the hunter dreams
when he falls asleep at fire
careless
of the kill purr
in his throat.

sharpened stick
in his slackened hand
soft breath
rising, falling

He dreams of wearing tiger skin,
but he won't.

Inspired by Tiger by Mohammed Jamil and submitted to Real Toads

Real Surreal

My little girl is eleven.  That's

three years away
from my first beer
cigarette
lover

four years away
from my first misdemeanor
and the felonies that followed

five years away
from me choosing to waste
the brains
the good Lord gave me

and six years away
from those other mistakes
I've spent myself trying
to take back.

For Midweek Motif ~ Choice at Poets United.  Also submitted to The Tuesday Platform at Real Toads.