Poems

1

disappointed
in the mildew on
my beach chair
it was clean
five months ago

2

Wednesday morning
exploring
one of life’s mysteries—
the origin
of the dripping sound

—february 12

3

overcast
i turn pages idly
in my mind

4

listening
to windblown leaves
thoughts of the sea

5

can’t tell
if I’m getting better
keep writing

6

inner clouds
i crave the comfort
of noodles

—february 13

7

gray skies
spitting rain
electric violin in the parking lot

—february 14

8

some days
the sun
just shines

—february 15

9

cat picking
at the door
peeling paint
I also
wish to be let out

10

sunny breeze
carrying around
this “no” on my back

11

second-guessing
every word
that comes out
of my heart

12

green-eyed cat
finds a hole
in one sleeve

—february 17

13

one week
was as long
as a mountain’s shadow

14

how i wish
i could hurry
recovery

15

deep fog
a personal wall
even on a sunny day

—february 18

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Photo Credits
Top photo: Yc Liao
Bottom photo: Anna Schroeder

1

wild conures call
while i wipe the glass tabletop
clean
awaiting company—
freshly arrived poems

—february 5¹You may have noticed this poem originally appeared, in a slightly different form, in last week’s TWIP. Apparently, I can’t keep track of my start and end dates. 😆

2

to bed too late
and headachey
up too early
headachey
life can be
…you know

3

high surf advisory
all boat tours canceled
lonely whitecaps

4

overtrimmed hedges
tremble against the wall—
sunflood

—february 6

5

i am nothing
but
a mandala

—february 8

6

feverish
from hard work
losing
the thread
of the story

7

those cloudy days
when 10 words come out
as 100

8

reading
of pure countryside air
the wail of sirens

9

“I lost my cannonball”
he says
while I contemplate
The Comedy of Errors—
Sunday evening

—february 9

10

slanted sunlight
in air conditioned air
the heavy weight
of not feeling
why I sit here

11

i never understood
the appeal of pajamas
i would rather live
day in, day out
wearing wings

—february 10

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Photo Credits
Top photo: Max Okhrimenko
Bottom photo: Fati Laraí Lará

1

cloud-covered sky
there are worse things to have
than two types of lavender Earl Grey

2

eavesdropping
on a conversation about victimization
I begin to feel victimized

—january 29

3

eating kids’ cereal
while the cat roams around
another day in Paradise

—january 30

4

dark outside already
but some days
are the middles of stories

—january 31

5

for once, quiet
except for the sirens
and the snoring

6

I remember when
the world was smaller
connections delighted us
before we took for granted
our swollen follower counts

7

dinner with friends
followed up by the Platonic ideal
of glazed donuts: Krispy Kreme

—february 1

8

evening darkness
hovers at the windowpane
the cat traps me in my chair

—february 2

9

late night
beneath the fuzzy echoes
of shrill conversation
I question whether
the stomping was better

10

writing the date
on ten poems in a row
I still fail
to remember what
day it is

—february 3

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Photo Credits
Photos: Crystal.

1

evening tea
washing the dust from my mind
then, work

—january 23

2

early birthday dinner
Buddha’s delight and a root beer float
not bad

—january 24

3

birthday eve morning
bleary-eyed from a long night
of the neighbors’ remodeling

4

crisp afternoon
talking on about nothing
sun dripping through the live oak

5

lunar new year
stuffed with chocolate chip muffins
I throw the cat a sock

—january 25

6

as usual
upstairs: stomp stomp stomp stomp stomp
3 a.m.

7

birthday wish:
don’t walk on my ceiling all night
crazy neighbor

—january 26

8

mint green tea
the scent of clear sunlight
and potential

—january 27

9

lunch-hour traffic
the shadows of the trees
stand still

—january 28

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Photo Credits
Photos: Crystal.

1

morning coffee
the upstairs neighbor dragging
furniture again

2

gusty day
sun and shadow dance
on the curtains

—january 17

3

scent of rose tea—
memories of summer rain I wish
had been endless

4

winter evening
the old man’s garden by the wall
half leafless

—january 18

5

scent of bleach
filling my bathroom—
the upstairs neighbor’s

—january 20

6

crisp morning
struggling with the aftermath
of anxiety insomnia

7

cat napping
on a blanket by the window, then
reggaeton beats

8

power tools
unprettily punctuate my poems
rescue artist: Yoshida Brothers

9

letting go
of words not meant for me
library return

—january 21

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Photo Credits
Top photo: Christy Moyer.
Bottom photo: Crystal.