Day 30 of NaPoWriMo and 3WW

Empty Highway Ignored
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I ignored the sign,
the one that said,
“Love me, Love me a lot.”

You were standing
on the side of the highway
near a puddle.

I drove through it
splashing dirty water
all over you

and kept on going.
The view in my rear-view
mirror was empty.

Day 29 NaPoWriMo

I Still Don’t Know April 10, 2008
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Me:
A tree with deep roots
but fly-away leaves

Me:
A whisper of wind
An empty handful

Me:
A night sky
full of holes

Me:
An ocean with waves
of death on empty sand

Me:
A white piece of paper
an unfinished poem.

Day 28 NaPoWriMo

A Forbidden Activity April 29, 2008
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She took a shower
then came downstairs
with just a towel
wrapped around her.

That how I saw
the hickey. It was
a strawberry
on the creamy meadow

just where the moon
of her breast began.
She saw me notice
and her eyes went wide.

“You let him brand you?
What are you, a cow?”
“I know, mom, I already
yelled at him.”

I knew they were having sex
but, a hickey?
That was going over
the line.

Day 27 NaPoWriMo

A Time the Lights Went Out April 29, 2008
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We were watching
the channel 13 news
at 5:30 with Kiley Bennett

He in his recliner
and me sideways
on the couch

with my legs stretched out.
There’d been a killing
in Portland, a car crash

on I-95 near mile marker 14
with two fatalities, and
tornadoes in the Midwest.

Then nothing. The screen
went black and our minds
went blank. We looked

at each other. Now what?
“Want to play cribbage?”
We got the cards and board out,
I moved closer to him
and we started playing, laughing,
smirking, swearing, chuckling.

Then the TV blinked
back on and we put
the cards away.

I returned to my couch
and the news,
unsmiling.

Day 26 NaPoWriMo

A Wound April 10. 2008

Did you ever take
your bicycle
and position
the training wheels
so that the back wheel
of the bike
was over a hole?

Then climb on
and pedal like crazy
but not go anywhere?

My son did that
with encouragement
from some friends

only Nay somehow
got his hand in the chain.

Crunch, scream
blood, dirt
crying, yelling
blood, blood

Where was I when this was happening?
How could I let my little guy
get hurt like this?

Why hadn’t I sealed him
in a capsule
away from the monster
bicycles of life?

Day 25 NaPoWriMo

I Would Like to Make an Exchange April 1, 2008
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I would like to exchange myself
with the wind.
I could tickle trees
and play with kites

I could mess up the hair
of people I don’t like
and throw sand in their faces.

I can’t write in this damn place!

If I was the wind
I’d huff
and I’d puff
and blow this place away!

Day 24 NaPoWriMo

Finding out about Something You Weren’t Supposed to Know April 17, 2008
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This topic
is doing nothing
for me

Look at those words
lying there like
dirty gray socks,

like my husband’s
wool socks he leaves
by his recliner.

Each morning
I come downstairs
to those fat snakes.

They used to hiss
at me and try
to bite my toes.

Now, I’ve learned to walk
on by and ignore them
just like those words.