When I knew her, her hair was dyed a deep auburn that formed wispy waves about her face and made her black eyes seem darker. She wore brown dresses that showed her solidarity with the earth and its ancient rumblings. She never wore blue, the color of the sky—for her greatest fear was to accidentally view the …
“I’m wondering if it’s going to be just like in the Bible,” Mrs. Steele exclaimed. “Forty days and forty nights!” Her voice was loud and shrill, as she handed Dad his change, and the way she kept talking made me think that she didn’t want us to leave. I understood. The nights were long and dark …
Russian dressing topped our salads During the same years We hid under school desks, Arms protecting our heads, Tensing until the blaring alarm subsided, During the same years we took cover from low-flying planes Unsure if they were dropping bombs Or mosquito repellent— Or just buzzing the corn fields because it was fun. Tangy and dark …
First a note: A sestina has six, usually unrhymed, stanzas followed by a stanza of three lines. It’s has the same end words, or form of the words, throughout, in a specific order for each stanza. The last stanza contains all six words, again in a specific order. In this case the words are waste, bottles, …
Tribute was published in Out Loud: A Year in Review 2017. Sometime between the October sunlight And the geese overhead at dusk, A little girl sat on the front porch step Fingering the stucco design on the wall. Her father was working on a car in yard, And she marveled that he was her daddy. His …