Women's Work 2009

I've been invited to present my poetry at Women's Work again this year on Sunday, May 10, at 6 p.m. More details to come!

Change of Plans

One of my best friends from high school, Adam Lee Crabtree, passed away Wednesday night. I will be unable to participate in the Read-Around Tennessee event tomorrow, as I am traveling out of state to attend services.

The Courtesy Flush

It's a simple solution
to a terrible problem.
Once the baby ruth
has been delivered,
send that puppy home.
Why some folks
refuse to flush their
refuse and spare
the rest of us
their putrid fumes,
I have no clue.
I submit that public
restrooms must be
outfitted with gas
masks to counteract
the air quality offenses.
To such offenders, I
have only one plea:
Don't let your poo
stew under you.

Read-Around Tennessee

Come and join us!

Local writers (and listeners) are invited to the Williamson County Public Library on Saturday, Apr. 18, at 9:30 a.m. for Read-Around Tennessee, a celebration which will be simultaneously observed in communities across the state. Coordinated by the Tennessee Writers Alliance, this fifth annual Read-Around invites all writers, published or unpublished, to share five minutes of their fiction, nonfiction or poetry. All ages are welcome. This event is co-hosted by the library and the Williamson County Council for The Written Word. Pre-registration is not required.

Dangerous Delivery

sitting on the john
startled by the noises
in the stall next to me
praying that I don't get
splattered by the
bazooka pooper next door

In Those Last Moments

What must it have been like
to know that you were about
to be torturously beaten and
brutally crucified? I wonder
if He reviewed His time on
earth in the Garden of
Gethsemane, flipping
through the slide show of
His mind. Did He think of
His family -- His father's
smile, His mother's embrace,
His siblings' laughter --
His favorite adventures,
His favorite foods, His closest
friends? Did He rub His hands
and feet, nauseous at the
thought of the massive nails
ripping their muscles and
snapping their bones? I wonder
if, in His mind's eye -- with the eye
of the Spirit -- He saw the faces
of those He healed and
delivered, and the faces
of all those yet to be freed.
Ultimately, in those last
moments, He saw the face
of God, the will of His Father.
He said "no" to His flesh and
His emotions and "yes" to the
Kingdom of Heaven, as
He knelt one last time and
said, in essence,
"Your Kingdom come.
Your will be done."

(lost my appetite)

lost my appetite
waiting for the elevator
outside the restroom

Except for Earl

Tea is subtle and understated.
It's quiet and underrated.

Except for Earl.

Although Earl Grey doesn't
bust down your door like his
cousin Joe, he does knock
pretty hard.

He tips his hat when you
come to the door and,
before you even say so
much as "hello," he's
inside your house
sitting on your couch
chatting about the morning news.

Earl is chipper, but serious.
He is a man of the world,
sophisticated, up to date
and timeless, all at the same
time. He's a philosopher,
a morning man.
He's the kind of guy
you want on your side.