Musicians at the Wedding
All week at the wedding
the musicians keep practicing
over the garage, during the rehearsal,
in the basement at night,
on the back porch while it rains.
Chapbook Prize
My Uncle Teaches Me About Prayer
the early blue-sky bird sings
and in my half-sleep i say
hohou!
The Morning You Saw a Train of Stars Streaking Across the Sky
five years and you forgot
the excitement of being on a mountain.
early morning, before the hunt, blurred hours
between night and day.
My Uncle Asked
can you write about me?
tell your readers i was the last
ndn to stand on that rock before they blasted
crazy horse’s face into its cracks and flat slopes.
Sparrow
What did you eat today, Mom?
She says tuna.
The correct answer is crust from a lemon
pound cake she shredded with her chewed fingers
then puzzled together.
My Mother’s Freezer
Again, he climbs the three-step
step stool, pauses to catch his breath,
then folds his five-foot-four
inches over
then over and scooches
against the bumpy ice.