poetry

return to South Sudan

return to South Sudan

before returning to his village
he found a bookstore
and bought a big pile of books
for twenty bucks

but when he brought them out
the line stretched
all the way to disappointment

determined to turn no one away
he did the only thinkable thing –
sliced each paperback in half

as the mothers collected
these split works
they cried with thanks

for the little boy they never thought
would walk back into their lives
and the faraway stories of hope
he brought in his own hands

poetry

rainy day ramblings

rainy day ramblings

i

am I doing enough
to earn my time here?
(and, is it possible to also read a book?)

ii

rain on rose petals
silver linings everywhere

iii

companion = [with] [bread]
this also delimits my friend/acquaintance line:
who can I invite in next
to serve a warm thick slice?
the words around us bear
the weight of deep meanings
we don’t even bother consciously knowing

from now on companion will have
a more complex, savory taste
every time it rolls around my mouth