Arboricide Song
A man with an axe called to his accomplices
from beneath the flow of night’s dark tap;
a bird screamed, a lyrebird. It flew into a tree,
up to where … Read more
Michele Karas
Saunasphere
It’s so hot, your brain sounds the alarm—
orders your body to pump water
from interior reserves,
hydrants in the blood, muscles, kidneys,
and brain itself—through dilated vessels
to the … Read more
Vibrant face of depression
Another flick, a spark
once more awakened the past
Illustrating memories
are alive and always last
I recall your visage with
its veins, … Read more
Life Is Like Moon
For Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran
Life is Jina
Jina is Mahsa —
the full circle of light
witness to struggle
Say her name—
The … Read more
Senator Sanders in Detroit (aspiration)
We won’t see 7-cent gas again
so, no floor sweeper is going to sit
in the catbird seat of a spanking … Read more
Morocco 2023
The Khamsas fall in Moroccan halls
As spirits fly away and mourners pray
Marrakech feels God’s fearful fist
Atlas quakes,
Riads break,
And solace cries
beneath rubble slides
Where missing … Read more
Remembering the Day
Howard Stern was on the radio then, obscenity
for everyone – or was it just reality
in language we could understand? Until a plane
broke through the punchline
to a … Read more
The Old Banyan Tree
Scorched, but still standing
the media said of the massive tree
in the heart of Lahaina after fires
blazed through Maui so swiftly, the sea
offered the best chance of … Read more
Precious Gemstones
Precious stones held a symphony
In the darkness of the sky.
Music played all around.
Gemstones cut by God above,
Impressive to the naked eye.
The stars glittered for all. … Read more
Climate Change
Jogging uphill
during the first week
of Spring I pick a scene
for you:
native frangipani,
nasturtiums, no, freesias
out of verge-grass thick
with honey;
bees worry
fireweed left behind… Read more
“Hanging onto Growing Threads”
With the dirt washed away, I hang up the laundry and my child’s wardrobe,
Then, I encountered the obstacle of running out of smaller clothes hangers.
There’s no possible way … Read more
World Cup Winner (noun)
“The worst injury is feeling you don’t belong so much
to you —”
– Claudia Rankine, Citizen: An American Lyric
Lift trophy, receive:
kiss. Synonym for power
lorded over women’s … Read more
Aloha I Ka Hamau
Ka’u mau keiki
Holo! Holo!
Holo i ke kai!
Aia ma luna ou ka hanu o ka deragona,
Ua hoʻolapalapa kona huhū i kou mau ʻāina kapu.
Holo! Holo!
Holo … Read more
Finding The Way Somewhere
There is someone we could ask but they left
Early this morning to beat traffic. We heard gears
Groaning, classifying what type of sound and evidence
To expect as the … Read more