Well Played

The old woman, a pale red scarf tied around her head, dealsMany cards out slowly, face up, in front of … More

Red burn of white paper, orange glow of rising smoke

He’ll always go home in that fitting brown aloha shirtFaded Reyn’s from years of favorite wear and washThe cycle repeated … More

I stare at the screen, 5:00 am, Korea time

And he says, “In this line, what does ‘it’ refer to?” I stare at the line then close my eyes … More

Sanity/Insanity

Reached that crossroads where you have to stop and wonderWhat mightn’t be a turning point or which may indeedDebating about … More

Word Picture

The urge of whirling stars told me sleepingI should write about you today but I only seeA coursing down of … More

Groove

You pause a beat from being yourselfTake a sharp breath as you put you on holdLift the needle that vibrates … More

On Seeing Hiroshige’s Sudden Rain

The seven on the bridge must deal with storm circumstancesBeings battered by a fearsome downpourCaught in the sudden deluge, some … More

An Issue Put to Bed

The fine art of editing, he found,A gift acquired only over timeThe learning of life’s grammar and punctuationTo gather and … More

My Father’s War Souvenir

Paulie, my father’s friend in Madison, tells meThat after the Army bussed him back to MilwaukeeHaving held onto him for … More

Christmas in September

The man wears a T-shirt that says“Spending Christmas with My Kids & My Cats”There’s a cartoon drawing of two playful … More

Numb

I’ve lived in Madison three years without a teeth cleaningThe dentist, between grunts, tells me I must do this more … More

A Family Tradition

I remember, nearing the endBefore dementia overwhelmed himThe first thing every morningMy father read the newspaperTurning more and more oftenTo … More

Late Friends

At this rate, you may meet them in your next lifeHunched here, ass throbbing, sliding on the benchTo catch the … More

How We Grow

Magical, the way our lives danced like a fairytale spinningCharmed amalgam of fantasy, dream, and highest heartsMy good fortune our … More

Legendary

I caught their act, three with the back and forth banterEach taking whip-smart improv turnsSometimes a jokester-provoker, then the straight … More

Next Love

I’ve always found love works this wayBefore it strikes the highest peakBlows out and sinks my last desireIt hints at heat … More

Math Rhymes with Laugh

The little girl’s eyes were riveted on the four objects her father placed in front of him on the table. … More

Memory and Coincidence

I am long past wondering if teachers have affected my life.  That is the way it is.  Some to a greater extent, … More

Saying I Love You

                            for Willie Nelson My silence was my worst mistakeNot saying the same, I know, must have hurtBeing unsure of what … More

Let There Be Peace on Earth

Five consonants and three vowelsCombine to create 28 charactersThe Korean alphabet“Hangeul”A simplified writing system for the peopleIts ease of comprehensionPromotes … More