Poem - Shift

Jake says graduation is coming up too fast

Jenni has quite the wonderful ass

I’m always staring at it when we’re in gym

Those shorts? The ones with pink trim?

Jake’s being paranoid, it’s still weeks away

When he’s being so depressing, what can I say?

“Okay, Jake, we’ve got two weeks, it’s true.

But there’s no reason to have that kind of view!

We’ve had a great run, no denying that

Now get up to the plate, it’s your turn to bat!”

Jake grabs a bat and approaches the plate

An opportunity for me to lay the bait

I approach Jenni, with a casual smile

But in a blink of an eye, she’s talking to Kyle

Jake returns, having grounded out

He sits next to me, his face filled with doubt.

“What if, in the future, we aren’t still friends?

I don’t want our friendships to reach their ends.”

“Jeez, Jake, would you forget this for once?

We’ll still be friends, quit being a dunce!”

I hadn’t talked to Jake in ten years

When he was found in the parking lot of a Sears

His wife had just left him, taken the children

I wonder what I’d say if I could talk to him again.

Poem - Jog

Wednesday morning.

Peg says I should run more

Coffee before or after?

Socks, shoes, banana.

Gulp of water then out the front door

What tunes for this run?

No, no, no, no, no

Zeppelin, finally

Alright, so twice round the block?

So foggy this morning

Make the first turn after the cul-de-sac

See Fred heading out to work

Remember to mow the lawn after work

Ugh, far enough now

Got through 2 full songs, nice solid jog

Hands on knees, chest in and out

Back up the stairs, jump in shower

Before I walk out, see Peg walking out of bathroom

She asks me to sit, okay

Shows me a white stick with a line on it

Jump out of my seat

Wrap her entirely

Never let her go.

Poem - Gen

First breath, first thought

Blinding light, all is light

Feelings -- what is a feeling?

Thump in my chest, touch around my back

Floating in the air, but still all light

Screaming, gasping for air, anything

Floating is gone, now feel stable

Sharp pain, somewhere? Is that mine?

Losing connections to what used to be

Screaming, unstopping screaming

Can anyone hear me? What is this?

Feel these things at my side, what are these?

Wave them up and down,

Long things with littler things on the end

Light finally relents, and I see something strange --

A big hulking thing like me, looking over

Staring back at me, my screaming ends for a moment

Who is that? Who is he? Or it?

He lifts up his long thing at his side and moves it back and forth

What is that? Why did he do that? I keep staring

He walks over, picks me up and puts a long cloth on me

He’s making sounds, noises that I’m just starting to make out

What does he mean? Is he making noises at me?

Another big hulking thing gives him a long flowy thing

He wraps the flowy thing around me, and it’s dark for a moment

All of a sudden I’m warm, almost as warm as…

As what? Where was I before now?

I’m not sure, but now it feels safe.