Irene
All
that
rain
is
now
in
all
that
river
Quite A Cat
At night
when everything in the house
grows quiet the later it becomes
even the refrigerator almost
stops humming and I am done
with writing and crumble my
last piece of paper into a ball
thinking to toss it into the fire
the cat comes to me at the sound
of the paper crumbling and
knows there is a paper ball
in my hand to crouch down
on the kitchen floor planks
with him to play catch —
yes, I toss and he fetches
like a dog, so he isn't
quite a cat
Perfect Birthdays
she gave to
me a book I
already have
a pair of bib-
overall rain
gear I already
have and for
my lover a pair
of blue earrings
she’ll always have
What She Brings
From Town
A fat clear bag
of dried cranberries
ready to burst
————————————
Bob Arnold
BEAUTIFUL DAYS
Longhouse
