& I realized my life would stretch

Decaying cedar planters bulgingwith soil and mossPatio stones defaced by creeping grasses &pine needlesFence posts choked by tendril entanglements Swing sets frozen on pauseabandonedThings once…

tragedy strikes the exhausted soul who stops to rest

Trauma is a child,peering out the windowwondering when the car door willslam shut.heralding a return—of anger and rage. The protector is hidden and perpetually present.Years later the man on the couch...

There is a boy down the street whose dad can’t emerge from the basement during the daytime for fear of being deported. I am not a cop but my white-ness breeds uneasiness. Young eyes peer precariously ...

A bottle of dark enchantmentI summon storms that forecastersCan’t predict Forge fake friendships In dim-lit, bar roomsAnd send kids to Bed scared and CryingI’m the friend you think you need—A…