float

 My arms ache 

from holding you.

My heart aches 

from holding you. 

This love is heavy, 

but it makes me float 

battle

I don’t know when

I’ve ever fought this hard 

I would face dragons and 

walk through fire, 

to feed you the food that comes from my bones 

-when breastfeeding is a battle 

The days before birth

 Stuck between frames

Between planes 

Between panes 

Of glass 

I am in the skipped beat 

The tripped feet 

The moment I cannot 

Move forward or pull back 

(Being here is stretching me)

But suddenly 

Time will snatch me forward 

I will tumble through the doorway

with a roar 

And for the first time 

I will see your face 

Charlotte Street

Stone and ivy

Deep green in magnolia leaves 

I’m walking down Charlotte street 

Wrought iron

Lace against brick

Under the shade of the oak trees

Whose roots lift the sidewalk 

Without a second glance 

The birds gather

At the blown glass feeders

The seeds scatter 

Charlotte: you’re a beauty 

You know how to move me 

The summer sweat 

The breeze that soothes me 

Yellow doors 

And wrap around porches 

Steeped in the shade 

The murmur of voices 

Giving me iced tea, 

Slow down feelings 

My mind drifts 

Muggy morning dreams of you

Charlotte you’re a beauty 

through and through 

Quarantine evening

On the front porch

Eating berries and cream

A June evening, 

out of a dream 

The sky is velvet 

It’s black and blue 

The windchimes whispering 

Give me this moment 

And let it last 

Let me have it to hold when it is past 

Can I keep it in my pocket 

All round and glowing

My fingers to find it 

On days when it’s snowing 

my perfect marble moment 

By now I have a thousand 

Because what Lana said is true 

Heaven is a place on earth with you 

Quarantine morning

Lying in bed 

The first morning murmurs 

Open the window and turn off the fan 

I’m up first

And my coffee grounds bubble 

It’s called blooming 

When you let them breathe

Kiss me in the kitchen 

Making eggs and toast 

Bare feet on the tile 

It’s warm enough now 

And while you cook 

I check the garden 

Run my hands through the kale 

Kiss the sweet peas 

Whisper to the peonies 

Good morning 

May

Give me the the morning as soft as a peach 

Out of bed- into the garden

I’m up with the sun 

Watching my seedlings stretching and reach

It’s May & I’m dreaming in dahlias