Poems
The Order of Their Living
Our cross-the-road neighbors, the McCrackens,
Are perennial winners of Yard of the Month.
I water for the McCrackens. Drink
Grape Kool-Aid in slant sun and marvel
At the order of their living things.
Flower and shrub that mind
As well as Mrs. Long’s
Standup-straight lunch line.
Our white azaleas come from
The McCrackens. Extras they said.
They don’t complain
About tire tracks on the lawn
When my father takes too many pills
And Rescue Squads back
Over their begonias.
In paperback edition of Opening the Mouth of the Dead
Published in Bellingham Review