Change of Elevation When we first moved here, birds—red-headed house finches, I believe,a family—twittering high up in the blue spruce that hangsfrom the neighbor’s yard. You...

ZULU, THE LANCE AND THE LANGUAGE First, the language refused to enter my ear and be understood. Instead I chased words around, words that hovered beyond grasp and...

Firework ScarsI stepped by the waterfall,memories restless, awakenedfrom induced night slumber,drugged with bottle contentsuntil the pain of tears vanishedUntil the misery of wrought hands,twisted...

The Cost of BeliefEighteen thousand dollars a year,a Jesuit tuition fee.How much Mom believedI wasted now that I was an “atheist.”I tried finding Godeverywhere...

Shadow A shadow always follows you,Hollows you out,Screeching a song, telling youYou're wrong, you're hideous:It's insidious, but it's inside youAnd outside, crawling on your skin,Creeping...

Sort of Villanelle to Dylan Thomas (“Do not go gentle”) and Sylvia Plath (“Lady Lazarus”) Your death may fit you like a shoe. You’ve gone your...

Do Bushes Burn in the Desert of Sinai? Is it a regular sight, spontaneous combustion in the shimmering heat?Still, Moses could not have been anointed...

“Don’t Lose Sleep Over It”I dislike it when people say, “Don’t lose sleep over it.”Chances are, I probably will. No matter how miniscule the item in...

The Vision of Meribah I Meribah,granddaughter of Amenemhat,beloved of Ishmael,recite my ancestors’ lessonsso that you, my child, may teach them to your own. It is through...

Hollywood, Paris, Covid We both had positive Covid tests aftercelebrating New Year’s Eve a few daysearlier. Her ex sent her a text saying hewasn't vaccinating...