Shovels
In a Polish forest as a boy
In a Cleveland driveway as an old man
He shoveled, he shoveled
The secret was to spin and fall
A heartbeat in advance of the gunshots
Tracks
Image: “Night Train” by Gerrie Paino. “Tracks” was written by Matthew Murrey for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, April 2024, and selected as the Artist’s Choice.
I’m Convinced You Actually Liked the Whole Wheat Pancakes
Remember the first apartment we chose? When it was time
for us to finally live together and we had to find something fast
and imperfect. With the landlord who barged in every time we were too
loud—I think she had an 8 p.m. bedtime.
At the Spring
Before she could drink from the garden hose
a cardinal landed on her wrist
and plunged its beak into the clear bubbling.
Bubba Country
Nineteen and drivin my fly ass whip,
to Malvern to visit my grandparents.
Could taste freshly killed bird and home
fries cooked in a skillet cast in 1914.
Close Call
I’m still not sure I really saw the car—shiny red
on a day that was a long green nap—go airborne.