Son

1
making love to make our son I kiss her eyes as if God were inside her
2
my wife gave birth to my son on the floor of the house I built
3
he keeps me up all night shits on my sleeve feverish cries for his mama until dawn lifts the heads of sunflowers
4
forget poetry going out jazzed our winter born boy needs his diaper changed her ancient tit me house cleaning singing lullabies like a dove
5
wild iris sway as he wades downstream singing
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one God many stories holding you our son walking the blue earth breathing away the pain with friends
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amazing the ups and downs my son chasing ducks Sunday eating together my friend’s cancer battle my wife’s selfless moan
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playing with candlelight my son burnt his finger I warned him
9
shower eat help my son memorize the constellations pay bills watch my wife sleep
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worried about rats eating wallboard in the dead of night I get up cover my son
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my son refuses to wear a raincoat in the summer rain
12
in his 2nd grade family drawing: my son gladday ready his mom hugging him me head in the clouds our cat smiling
13
when rains make bitter grass green with laughter my son springs from the winter of his room with his shedding dog and new baseball yelling to his buddies “Wait up!”
14
late afternoon October sycamore shadows blowing elm my son his dog me
15
after days of acid rain the lost sun comes promising heaven sent birds and boys’ voices
16
dragged my son up the mountain to watch the meteor shower sons and fathers everywhere I hope
17
my best friend’s grave she loved singing my son asleep now she’s waving grass wildflowers
18
in a vacant lot my freckled face boy floats a t the happy end of his 99¢ kite
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the science of mystical seeds restores your left brain faith in everyday miracles like noisy boys climbing the music of old trees
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if we could come back her a book of flowers our son blades of grass me the invisible wind
21
6 to 6 deep plowing then wall-to-wall screaming kids a leaky roof the old tractor my darling one n aked notebooks full of dreams
22
sling shot boys kick red and gold leaves swirling down the street of locked doors at the tired end of Indian summer
23
my sons reaches for falling snow trampling veined leaves with footloose laughter fearless of winter’s night the certain bones
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true I care more than my son when he plays baseball
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the orange tree my son planted today will fruit after we’re long gone
26
the bus driver brags about her son’s first home run wishes she could have been there
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putting flowers on mother’s grave my son holds my hand
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when night rises I yearn when my son comes home I relax when you sing I surrender
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WTC on t.v. my son’s face a cloud of tears
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his father beat him black and blue her husband her their sons their sons
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the eyes told me that I’d play catch with his sons long after he thought breathed
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I argued with my son explained the rules he still did what he wanted
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my boy swaggers down Main St. sure he’ll live forever
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in the back seat good boys brag about good girls what they wanna do with them
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sleepless until my son comes home late then finally I turn over
and rest
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the light in my son’s words the silent stones of his tears
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quiet room unmade bed boys playing in the rain stupid poems awful silence
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all the dawns evening storms lovely breasts good talk tickled son blow plumeria drift
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when the stone of night rises I a thief of songs yearn for the music of a woman’s light and then my out the door son sneaks late back home and I breathe deep again
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I don’t get it gone son lost lover sick friends joyless graying unkissed pissing blood
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half her half me our son didn’t know where to go when she moved out
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when I’m memory my son might think of me when he’s gone I’m only a poem or two
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bombs hunger lacklove prodigal son abandoned fields come down God get back to work