January 31, 2019

over and over
I tell his story
so he’s here with me


January 30, 2019

even the trees
seem to shiver tonight —
come closer, beloved


January 29, 2019

just before bed
we trade stories about him
sunlight, revisited


January 28, 2019

the eyeblink between
waking and remembering
gone, and gone again


January 27, 2019

annoyed at the seeds
in my seedless orange
January blues


January 26, 2019

his response to fear
a frantic search
for understanding


January 25, 2019

still here
the constellations
my father taught me


January 24, 2019

January 23, 2019

yearn, pine, and long — we've needed all three of these, haven't we?




January 22, 2019

shu mai, cream of wheat,
Cheerios straight from the box
sick day comfort food



January 21, 2019

they each sang both songs
until they knew the other’s
whose song do you know?



(inspired by this piece about Australian penguins Sphen & Magic)

January 20, 2019

colder and colder 
as our shadow crosses over,
we look for layers


January 19, 2019

lunar eclipse
already I’ve forgotten
where to look for you


January 18, 2019

air that smells like snow
your grin as good as asking
where I’ve put the sled


January 17, 2019

the promise of snow
gently takes the place
of my alarm clock


January 16, 2019

your finger a victim
of life at the speed of life
maybe broken now


January 15, 2019

deep in the thicket
sparrows singing their safety
our boy when we’re home



January 14, 2019

half-full already
the moon lights our way home
no sign of the fox


January 13, 2019

new season, new songs
I imagine my father
listening from somewhere


January 12, 2019

wood smoke still tangled
in our hair and laughter
home before midnight


January 11, 2019

showing us again
what freedom feels like
a fox by starlight


January 10, 2019

the cold between stars slips as far down as it can — sneaky pickpocket

January 09, 2019

the boy I taught
to find Orion
points it out to me


January 08, 2019

first person ever
to look at me in wonder
my father, day one


January 07, 2019

first day back
secretly thinking about
presents we didn’t get


January 06, 2019

we stay silent
because we don’t want to lie —
no sign of the moon


January 05, 2019

my friend’s parent dies
we find each other's eyes,
understanding now


January 04, 2019

up so late
we get hungry again
twenty-six years on


January 03, 2019

a stranger’s child
plays peek-a-boo with me
first green shoots of spring


January 02, 2019

windy day blue jay
how much of our lives are spent
just balancing?


January 01, 2019

just before the hunt
a barn owl’s quiet warning
first voice of the year