Away

There you dance on the other side of an ocean,

a dance I can’t understand...

I gave you

these notes, (a choreography)

but your steps are all different now,

and with your back to me,

you spin away.

The Girl

The girl in the back of the bus had a secret dream: to stay in one place long enough to get bored.

Plum (for William Carlos Williams)

There’s a plum in the pocket of my black wool coat

and when my hand dives in for warmth

it tempts me with its promised sweetness.

I know that when I finally bite,

The juice will run red down my chin

and stain my t-shirt so I wait--

anticipate a little longer.