wide-brimmed hats
a trowel loosening
the smell of earth

Peggy

on the run
he unreels the box kite

Ferris

Federal Express
knocks at my door
and a butterfly enters

Paul

the textbook open
to Common Sense

Peggy

only the full moon
helped her study
for mid-terms

Ferris

I step carefully
to avoid the mushrooms

Paul

chandelier swinging
as our loud boogie woogie
rattles the crystal

Ferris

courtesans wave
from the gondola

Peggy

bright petals
down the wedding chapel’s
center aisle

Paul

could I conceive
in the eye of the storm?

Ferris

let’s imagine
this magnetic tape
is your DNA

Peggy

illegal immigrants
caught with forged papers

Paul

the snow leopard
leaps higher
winter moon

Peggy

leafless shadows
mark the oak grove

Paul

a big green X
in place of his hair
then the chains

Ferris

for the birthday girl
old jade restrung

Peggy

surrendering myself
to lily of the valley’s
timeless appeal

Paul

those tadpoles with legs
look so curious

Ferris

two by two
the Merry Men
greet the Queen of May

Peggy

her television stolen
while she dreams

Ferris

so few good points
that my matchmaker shrieks
“Impossible!”

Paul

bananas flambé
kindle our mood

Peggy

giant boulders screening
his slow ramble to
the erogenous zone

Ferris

undertow at this beach
in Zanzibar

Paul

another sell-off
sweeps away
my market gains

Peggy

every toilet flushed
with the janitor’s bleach

Ferris

I promise Mother
the little alligator
will be no trouble

Paul

“See ya’ later,
conjure man.”

Peggy

chicken blood drips
into the circle
pale moonlight

Ferris

the harvester follows
a row to the horizon

Paul

in this place
they bale marijuana
along with the hay

Ferris

we’ve found the needle
that threads itself

Peggy

indubitably
Sherlock shows me
the crucial clue

Paul

at last I know a way
out of the twisty maze

Ferris

blossoms blown
from six directions
toward the obelisk

Peggy

finding its new level
so many brook sounds

Paul

balancing
on the floating dock
a glass of red

js

loon calls
echo our laughter

yc

please hold
for the next available
representative

pwm

she attends the birth
of her grandchild

ht

•

the moon revealed
what else
was there . . .

yc

it’ll be tricks
if we’re out of treats

js

their heirloom bed
seems oversized
these chilly nights

ht

new lingerie
however briefly

pwm

a complete landscape
in a few deft
strokes

js

Climb aboard
the Great Western locomotive!

ht

two scorpions
already occupy
my motel room

yc

snowflakes
fall in moonlight

js

prayers for peace
after a homily
on Bethlehem

pwm

the dream catcher
takes another twig

yc

he schedules an appointment
with his massage-therapist
wife

ht

appraising her curves
and hollows

pwm

•

small town stories
often have a touch
of irony

js

Dorothy returns
to Kansas

yc

even early blossoms
fill the esplanade
with picnic baskets

pwm

a windrow of
cottonwood fluff

ht

the hour between
children and parents waking
presents under the tree

J

a ball of wool socks
in the calico’s clutches

M

I promised myself
I would learn
to play guitar

J

echo of a train whistle
rides the cusp of dawn

M

•

the moon
seems permeated
with a smokey scent

J

without you
the leaves have less color

M

we turn to each other
for the warmth we need
as autumn deepens

J

today’s mail
sent to the recycle bin

M

battle sites
named one way by the Yankees
and another by the Rebs

J

nobody needs a tattoo
the body itself is art

M

thumping
a series of melons
to check their ripeness

M

moths prefer the porch light
to the moon

J

the Braille book
of blonde jokes
raises some funny questions

M

she signals her readiness
with a slight pause

J

they bond
because it’s understood
they are not bound

M

“on my honor,
I will do my best . . .”

J

•

Murphy’s law
can be overcome
by improved design

M

a second pair of legs
for the tadpole

J

the neighbor’s fence
has vanished
in the bougainvillea

M

bursting bubbles
as we blow more

J