Poems

Exploding Seashells

Quaker-Oats-4321“CIA assassination plots included poisoning a box of Castro’s favorite cigars with botulinus toxin and placing explosive seashells in his favorite diving spots.”

The box of oatmeal broke apart
In my hands, the Quaker man
Decapitated, his smile
An unreturned greeting
Forever.

One wonders how chance
And plan intersect. I found
A missing earring when I bent
To scoop up the oats.

What if he had not been drawn
To the purple drupa
And instead reached
For the virgin murex? Continue reading “Exploding Seashells”

Poems

Isolde

On the ship, we watched whales sound,

the rise and fall, the spray plunging into foam

Into something new. We have not spoken,

But we are watching the same scene.

I stood behind you as you spoke to the crew,

As you gave instructions, the muscles of your back

Rising as you took in air, shoulder blades creasing

The material I wanted to touch. You knew I was behind

Continue reading “Isolde”