Pre-Dawn

The day yawns,

a large, dark, gaping void

destined to be filled with –

what? How could I know?

The sun hasn’t even risen yet.

I’ll close my eyes

for just a minute and

dream of what the day

will be.

Stymied and Stumped

I sit, watching the neighbor’s dog gobble
rabbit droppings where the snow has melted.
And I procrastinate. That’s what I’ve been doing
for the last half hour. Disgusting, but true.

Words are elusive today,
scarce as a perfect summer sky.
Just when I think I have them in my sights,
they lift off and dissipate, colors fading
a flock of distant parrots screeching into the distance.

I rummage through my memory for
snippets of intoxicating conversation
but most are coy and refuse to step forward. The few
that do answer my plea begin with grace but then
stumble and reel and crash absurdly.

It’s grown late. The dog has been called inside.
The sky is dimming. My quiet time is nearly done.
And still I sit, stymied and stumped, waiting for
those damnable words I hold so dear.

A New Face

I’m off to the shop to buy a new face.
The old one has failed to keep up the pace with
me and my life and my loves and in case

you didn’t know me when I was a child
you’d never know now that I was both mild
and meek but still quite worthwhile and

now all you see is an old woman with lines,
a halo of hair grown both wiry and fine and
a personal essence hard to define.

Inside, trust me, I’m summer heat lightning.
I’m early dawn when the sky is first brightening
with colors growing, expanding and heightening.

I need a new face to project my splendor
so it’s off to the face shop, my preferred vendor
who will match the real me with me that you see.

(The ender.)