grief tearing down these walls

*Published by Cold Moon Journal on 12/29/20

 a whisper

from Old Scratch

nuclear winter

*Published by horror senryu journal on 12/30/20

 gifts of grief

all colors are pastel

and jellyfish float

in a violet sky

the radio plays Brian

Eno along with

the comforting symphony

of crickets

the mall has always

been dirt-free

the daily news

is a loop of fresh lavender

 but there are no stars

& moon

no Kubrick

or Agatha Christie

in the hum of okay

fine thanks

you forget that you

are a flame who 

can birth suns

*Published by Rejection Letters on 12/29/20

 because you were always right at the edge of night

*Published in Issue 17 & 18 of NOON: journal of the short poem

 solar flare

what you

couldn’t hide

*Published by Cold Moon Journal on 12/26/20

 each day

is now shorter and darker

let me

have a moment

with this dying rose

*Published in Issue #23 of Moonbathing

 inhale

snow

exhale

*Published by Haiku in Action on 12/24/20

 perhaps it was only a dream where violet begins

*Published in Issue #1 of Bloo Outlier Journal

 i am also in the dark coyote’s howl

*Published by Cold Moon Journal on 12/23/20

 how does one

pull out knives embedded

along their spine

ask your ancestors

if they need your permission

to spark a fire

*Published by Human/Kind Journal on 12/9/20

what remains

after each star combusts

into black

legend has it

there are colors

we have never seen

*Published by Human/Kind Journal on 12/20/20

 my happy place

is the sound

of a fireplace crackling

as snow gently falls

it is the taste

of a hot cup of tea

on a cold winter night

and it is the smell

of a blanket you slept in

as the blizzard roared

*Published by Central Coast Poetry Shows on 12/21/20

 how many sapphires

does the ocean contain

within its depths

along the surface

of my skin

you will know infinity

*Published by Human/Kind Journal on 11/8/20

 flame

must you

tempt my hand

*Published by Fresh Out: An Arts and Poetry Collective on 12/16/20

 chimera

unraveling/tangling. and i just want to watch

the twilight become

*Published in Issue 3 of GLITCHWORDS

 unholy matrimony an off-pitch organ drones

*Published by horror senryu journal on 12/11/20

**Nominated for The Haiku Foundation’s Touchstone Individual Poem Award by the editor

 denial

this isn’t

my blood

and these are not

my hands

i want to believe

each mountain

is a quiet river

and that your sickness

was only my

twisted fantasy

but this is

my blood

and these are

my hands

*Published in Déraciné Volume VII

here

this will

be our secret

the busted door

leading to

a darkened hallway

you may have

loved her first

but i

was the one

who found you here

crumpled on the stairs

your head in

my arms and

do you remember

what you confessed

between those

first hitched breaths

*Published in Déraciné Volume VII 

 you are never alone

someone

somewhere

knows intimately

the pain you are carrying

*

patience

when you feel

your soul is broken

beyond repair

just remember

invisible hands

of light and strength

are mending it new

*

this is only a beginning

the waves

will cease

and the ache

will fade

and you

will shine again

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #21

 liminal

tonight

i have no answers

and tomorrow

the same

so i will rest

my head upon this pillow

and pray

in this uncertain space

*

find the beauty, if you can

there is no highway

no autobahn for the winding

road that is grief

*

at home

we speak of aloneness

as a wretched thing to be feared

when quite simply

it is the closest we will ever be

to the stars and ourselves

*

let’s heal one another

i walked with nature

bare-faced and full of ache

she leaned in a bit closer and said

you are no different than me

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #21

 affection

when all hope seems lost

i am often at a loss

for what to say

but i hope you can

at least

take some comfort

in my hand

cradling yours

*

simplicity

i am trying to find joy

in the little things

these days

a fresh set of sheets

for example

or the still-lingering

scent of autumn rain

*

purgatory

it has been awhile

since i have seen

the sun pour its heart

through an opening of clouds

not just outside

but also within my mind

*Published in Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems #21

 freedom

your income

your marital status

your level of education

doesn’t matter

in the church

of this meeting

you are an addict

like all of us

*Published in Issue No. 18 of Anti-Heroin Chic

 diode

heavy is the

unseen wine bottle

when the earth is burning

burning and dying

lead are my arms and legs 

now tell me how

i can fly with the wings

you say i have

there are an infinite

number of sides to me

and all are confusing

in my gut

i know there are

luminous constellations

and if i raise

my heels high enough

i can weave

their fingers with mine

*Published in Issue No. 18 of Anti-Heroin Chic

 anti-eulogy

you weren’t

supposed to

feed me

amaretto liquor

until i

blacked out

when i

was underage

and if

you didn’t

know that

before this

i’m telling

you now

*Published in Issue No. 18 of Anti-Heroin Chic

 in a vacant city

does a bullet still

demolish souls

ask the stars if

their shine was split

without consent

*Published by Cold Moon Journal on 12/3/20

 Ode to Dayton

you may have heard

about my city

splashed across headlines:

nine dead

dozens injured

from terror in the night

but you may not have heard

about the heroes

shielding others with their skin

and you may not have heard

about the peacemakers

singing in blood-covered streets

look beyond those headlines

and see the beauty

in our ashes

watch how quickly we rise

with golden wings

to soar into glorious light

*Published in The Dayton Anthology