Grape House
The realtor took us room to purple room
Diverse shades of the same bruise color
Some paintings in the house also featured grapes
On the kitchen table, a cluster of them, plus
Corks and wine bottle décor
The back porch was a series of steps on
Steps and I wondered how a tipsy person
Might navigate the challenge
As we moved through the structure
I could not erase images of portly Bacchus
Holding residence and spilling lavishly
On the one-time guests of the home
Using words like Catawba and Niagara
Sprinkled into the dough of conversation.
(previously published at Eye On Life)
Beheaded Sheep Figure
The budding voices have died away
Leaving the empty room with confetti
Spread on the rarely clean floor
Small tokens of their presence
In the middle of the room, beneath a table
A plastic sheep, the head chewed off
An abandoned Old Testament sacrifice.
(previously published at Red River Review)
Missing Dog Metaphors
Down the bends of the road, they called his name
Over and over again like a meditation
Small dogs have a flaw in feeling larger
All the world, all people, constitute a friendly place
Surely, there is no harm to be found here
So, the family searches the familiar places
Around them, the homes of strangers are quiet
After two hours, they discover their dog’s betrayal
He has taken up with another family
The new father already purchased food and a bed
“We’ve always wanted one,” the new mother says
The smile spreads across her face like butter
They walk away sadly, members of the old pack
Listening to the yaps of the tiny Brutus.
(previously published at Eye On Life)
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