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...
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...
A Three-Day Love Affair
I fell for you fast, Venice,the moment I stepped from the vaporettoand onto your floating welcome.Waif-thin as I was, you took...
PAIN
Incessantly demanding recognition
Like the penetrating ticking of a tightly wound clock
Is the knowing.
Knowing we shall not be,
Knowing, though I close the door
It will not...
WHERE ARE THE SUPERHEROES?A jubilant time, the era of the superhero,that decade when a vital young President,rejuvenated by a medical breakthrough,laid down plans for...