Emptiness

nothing left at home
save the old chair and sofa
that I brought with me

vacant memories-
cobwebs cling
to empty shelves

Passing

one flame extinguished
while another adds it’s light
to the firmament

eyes downcast-
black armbands
wet with rain

Summer

searing hot asphalt-
children splash in the water
from a cracked hydrant

heavy branches-
in the shade
a rope swing

Shadow

long evening shadows-
the sun half hidden behind
a stand of live oaks

sleepless-
my mind puts flesh
on the shadows

White

thin fringes of white
ring the brow of the mountain
furrowed by the past

white cliffs-
the sun glints
off the sea spray

Coffee

old invitations-
coffee’s brewed in the kitchen
if you’d ever show

rising steam-
cozy dreams
of coffee shops

Cemetery

blackbirds in the trees-
pebbles left on your headstone
in remembrance

knees in the soft earth-
I clear away
the weeds and leaves

Penance

another meeting-
I know your failings so well
as I do my own

rain slicked neon-
another club soda
graces my glass

Religion

knelt down before you-
my voice offered as a sign
of my devotion

scorched copper sky-
blood I’ve spilled
on your alter

Loneliness

reading into my
masochistic tendencies-
our old love letters

grimy windows-
a metal fan
stirs the air