Box
One day soon
all that we forgot
will be remembered
it just needs a nudge
the sight of a hedge we used to trim
the smell of candles on a birthday cake
blown out
how a woman walks
down Halsted Street
carrying a package
and you wonder about
all the packages you ever carried
all the disappointments
you delivered
and called them by other names
freedom becomes good-bye
a lot becomes a bagatelle
the smell of your breath turning sweet & sour
you forgot what once was in
that package
but someone honked at you
crossing the street
and just then you remembered
the box was empty

Precipice
All mountains are pretty much alike
they’re tall
they hurt you
it rains on them
every afternoon
so climb them early
they are hard not
in the ways you thought
but in different ways
not just steep
but irregular
going down a mountain
is just as hard on your knees
as going up
you get a certificate
for climbing
the really tall ones
you keep it somewhere safe
your guide takes your picture
on top
you keep that in your wallet
your face wears a look
of humility
later on you decide
it isn’t humility at all
but smugness
you call the mountain
your friend
all the mountain remembers
is that you took a leak on him
right before
your picture got taken
 
Micah’s Universe (Haiku)
Our grandson drew it
asteroids stars universe
cup of hot cocoa