Now that we’re over and you’re gone,
I’m left to ponder the past and wonder
what might have been, if only. If only
I had done this rather than that.
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Priest Lake Lovers
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Cameron’s Halloween
He steps onto the stoop
In the cool mountain air,
Glances at the night sky,
Are there witches to scare?
Four years old, now not so sure
If he’s the monster tonight
Or if real ghosts and goblins
Will give him a fright.
A parade of costumed kids,
From fairy-tales to scary-tales,
They yell “trick-or-treat”
From behind frightful veils.
Latter at home he spills his bounty
Spread out on the floor,
Mom says, “Have a taste tonight,”
Two small pieces, no more.
She pulls off his costume and
Lays him in bed, turns off the light.
He lies awake and wonders
If monsters still roam the night.
For the Broken Girl
I’ll hold your hand in mine to protect your heart
If you slip away, you’ll drift free like a child’s balloon, and
when you fall to the ground, your heart will be broken
and will shatter into a million pieces
Healed by time, your mended heart will grow back
with scars and cracks
The scars suppress memories of your pain,
cracks let hope seep in until your
heart once again fills with love
I’ll hold your hand in mine to protect your heart
If you slip away, you’ll drift free like a child’s balloon, and
I will spend a thousand years searching to find you again
Imagination Playtime With Cameron
We flew by the Sun,
My grandson and I,
On a witch’s broom
Custom made to fly.
We circled Venus and Uranus,
And Jupiter and Mars.
We flew on to the Milky Way,
And ate cookies surrounded by stars.
And when our fuel ran low
We landed on the Moon
Where the conductor said,
“The train will leave soon.”
“All aboard the Polar Express!”
He called, “Next stop planet Earth!”
We took our seats and fell asleep—
Waited to arrive at our berth.
We awoke on the sofa
Covered in Legos and spacemen,
And Cameron’s sweet voice,
“Grandpa, let’s do it again!”
The Light
Thought I saw something
On your dock last night
Watched across the lake
Slender beam of light
There was a time your light
Guided me through the dark
Led me safely to your dock
Where we ignited the spark
Of forever love we shared
Doing all those things we did
While parents slept in cabins
We laid on the dock and slid
Into the water
Greased by alcohol
Skin pressed together
An eye on landfall
Promises burned between us
Like matching couple tattoos
Consummated at fifteen
Mind-bending colorful hues
Your dad murdered the light
Snuffed my guide to your side
Forty years gone by now
The night my heart died
Ice Princess (excerpt)
I watch guys approach you as if an exotic animal.
You provide them no hope. It’s hopeless.
Are you hopeless? I don’t think so. I saw you
smile once when talking to the librarian, and
in that moment, you blossomed from pretty
to beautiful like a caterpillar morphing
into a butterfly. A smile can do that to a face.
I live only for the gift of your smile, which
I will carry in my heart always.
Corporate Rebirth
WesTel is to telecom, as
Earth is to the Sun.
I orbit WesTel, like
the moon circles Earth.
Faster, faster, faster—
I spin.
Pulled away from—
all I know.
Spinning, spinning, spinning—
a centrifuge.
Extracting my soul—
consuming it whole.
Loss
a red bicycle lies crushed in the gutter,
you’re gone and i never said i love you
Hope
i didn’t have my brand on him—
we never got matching tattoos,
but we were happy together. you
knew that and took him anyway,
just because you could. and, now
i live alone in a life without hope.
North Idaho Stories 