Crayon and magic markers that never came off the walls;paint on the carpets and doors;knife and screwdriver carved furniture and…
The Fruits of Love’s Labor
May I write a song for us?Maybe about our family tree?How about our hawking birds and stinging bees?The scheme of…
Not Everything Is Broken
If I were Bob Dylan, I could tell you everything that’s broken.If you know that song, you know his list is…
War Tale
As he sits fingering his bottle of beer,wiping the sweat down in trickles,turning it slowly in tight circles on the…
Youth Must Be Served
I’m watering the yard, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticea branch of the plumeria tree bend;…
Mind in the Time
Remember that, she says, as we sit sipping coffee, I was all whipped-cream nosed. It has been 40 years since…
London Stairs for Going Down
“Mind the stairs, mate,”he shouts in a harsh tone.I look up, he down at me, his facethat of an angry…
Self Help
As agreed, I am waiting in the Self Help section of the bookstore.I read in a randomly selected book that…
Envy
Someone says, “Mine is better than yours.”It’s that old schoolyard boast,the anger instantaneously rumbling up,separating two children playing to fierce…
Where There’s a Will
A pint can’t hurt.Why do I always think that?More likely a pint can’t help. This writing implement depresses me.They are…
Episode 16 of my latest Lt. David Chan Hawaiʻi crime story is available on Kindle Vella
Scorpio Rose
The moon wasn’t in the second house, nor did Jupiter and Mars align. The planets weren’t guided by peace, and…
Land of English Only
I was born in a land of English speakers,where parents believed speaking Englishwas the key to success. My father was…
Growing Soft
Sorry to say, but several things about you bother me.For one, you are cleverly invisible most times.I hear your soft…
Hold On
March, about those last three days you borrowed from April to warm you up.I can guess why you wouldn’t want…
Unwound
My legs are tired, heavy.Each step’s more a slog.The clock slows down.Someone forgot to wind it.Used to stay on top…
Beg Pardon
You use your arms to disguise your breasts as elbows,to stop the wind from licking at them,or cross yourself against…
My Last Birthday
For my last birthday, I made a donation to the Hawaiian Humane Society.I’d adopted a dog in May and wanted…
Phraseology
My dad had a store of useful phrases for any occasion.Most memorable for me was, “I need X like I…
Pathetic Prophetic
At that insightful moment in this wall-building exercise,I flashed upon those muscles allowing me to pick upthe next stone, that…
Lanning Lee 