~ for Shelly

pita chips & dip

honey fire

starlings in flight

evaporating snow-melt

passerine gunfire

crow’s Midwest dialect

chives burst through wintered soil

fragrant green shoots—

reaching skyward for air, sun & water

PET scan results

more of the same

she tires so easily

yes, more of the same

I hope I’m still able

to love the color orange

after all of this,

should we survive it, that is

sticky notes

pastel pinks, yellows & teals

colorful reminders

to enjoy my life

vulgarly violating

the obsidian blackness

neighbor’s security light

leap of faith

I think we’re in the clear

adorning the house

with spring décor

small, red SUV

waits in the neighbor’s drive

hungry for fuel

and the open road

in the deepness of her winter

she hungered for the sweetness

of a juicy, summer peach