Poems

Must stop trying so hard, smiling so much, Must stop before face hurts or eyes water Must banish that Border Collie look from face, The one that hopes against hope Must go to bed earlier, do more yoga, for the Sake of mental health drink and think less Must be myself whenever I remember Her […]

The way you Squint your eyes Furrow your forehead Make a walnut of your face Signals to me you are trying To understand whatever drips So unrelentingly from my mouth. Good man, you run the long distance Navigating much loneliness. And I guess that trying so hard must But shouldn’t have to qualify as Love, […]

I wanted you to make me whole but see now that the same as me you are broken, or about to break, find life beautiful, to die for, most often to despair of.

The kiss you blew me across the table as you got up to leave I’d like to think I caught it: It wouldn’t do for it to hover, aimless, still much desired and unforgotten

This here is all there is. This running for trains, this waiting for texts, this looking for words. Have faith in those that cross your path, or else get a dog and admire his effortless happiness. Take him for walks and throw him sticks and marvel at his capacity for retrieval. Rejoice in his simple […]

When exactly was it I put up my hand and volunteered to be the keeper of these things: Boxes of letters and photographs and folders of documents and passports accumulating beneath the bed and at the back of the wardrobe for no reason other that no one else would take them. What was it made […]

This pearl of perfect in my palm Is going nowhere, will not leave. Its touch of tender and of calm Is my strong and gives me faith.

This place given to sudden acts of kindness Puts a spring in my step and a smile on my face: The bus driver’s “love” and the cab driver’s “bird” Are enough affection for my German heart.

Smile after smile comes to him as he punches messages into his phone: Laden with gifts and wrapping paper, he leans upon the handle of his trolley that no doubt holds more charging leads than paper. His hair is died a glossy black and the cut he wears suggests some pricy label sticking from the […]