Broken

Between us, on a tabletop of glass,
a working hand becomes a hammer.

A man wants his way.
He won’t take no.

Blood, though not spilled, boils.
Shards ring out and sing

the ways we will not mend—
how the heart, like a fractal,
repeats a pattern of breaks
and splits when magnified.

My heart rages.  It pushes blood
along a crooked line of strife

until I heed the rattle-crack
and attend the bang of anger.

The embittered rackets rise until
the broken pieces lay at rest between us.

On The Early Miscarriages Of Two Children

Death, you feckless enemy.
In vain, you took two children.
You cannot hold them
anymore than I can grip

the wind.  We are good parents.
We will endure miscarriages
and family absences.
We long for the ones taken,

but you are defeated.
Their names—Speck,
and Pickle—were given before,
given because, given, and

you cannot claim them.
You were uninvited, but we
still took our seats for dinner,
with our living kin,

to pray, to see another’s face,
to consider life in a womb
and form a space
between our digits—About

this big?  Yes!  Can you believe
it!?—We do not want for grief.
O Death, you made us weep.
But here, beneath the Wing,

you may not reach.  You’ll never
grasp the strength that forms
the frailest tiny living
human beings.

Easy Friends and Hard Won Enemies: A Proverb

Making enemies requires effort.
Slack and rude won’t accomplish it.
These are anticipated and
Not nearly despicable.

You must listen…carefully.
Respond.  Look at whom you
Address.  Give them the benefit
Then give it again.

Play.  Wrestle.  Don’t mention
A good deed you did.  Dress
In honesty.  Delight in Peace.
Expand space.  Build a bridge.

Persist!  The betrayers will arrive.
They will despise, and you will
Be dismissed.  Clenched, their
Face will form a fist.  But

Making friends is a cinch!  Find
One who is equally chafed by
Your enemy.  Together, take aim,
…Steady…Fast you will remain.

Of course, that friend is like honey
That turns bitter in the belly.
A true friend will always be
Your potential hard won enemy.