Cricket Hymns

the milk drinkers recline at the head of the bed ...

2007-07-25T15:21:00.000-07:00

the milk drinkers recline
at the head of the bed

one toddler's bare foot resting
on the other's chest

blinds cannot contain
summer's long twilight

or a thousand scratches
on the wood floor

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

high school football lights illuminate the back ya...

2006-05-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

high school football lights
illuminate the back yard

two raccoons search for grubs
on the fringe of the lawn

Orion the Hunter slips unnoticed
below the horizon

a rain gauge dismantled
by little hands
continues its wireless signal
throughout the night

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

a prairie falcon lands in the birch tree with shim...

2006-05-01T21:59:00.000-07:00

a prairie falcon lands in the birch tree
with shimmering red flesh in one claw

his gold eye ring set boldly
against the black center of vision

he surveys a world of rectangles
rooftops and wooden fences around yards

and pecks and stretches his meal

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

the big bubble is "up high" Jesus is "up high" l...

2006-04-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

the big bubble is "up high"

Jesus is "up high"

lah-poh-poh (lawnmower) is "up high"

daddy's coffee cup is "up high"

dental floss is "up hiiiiigh"

Turvey's car is "up high"

the washcloth is "up high"

daddy-boh-boh (w) is "up high"

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

finding tan bark in my son's diaper the head firs...

2006-04-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

finding tan bark in my son's diaper

the head first plunge down the slide

face into the ground
followed by arching back and legs

punctual silence followed by screams

then crying out for his cement truck
from mother's arms

his baby brother hastily abandoned
on the park grass

like a beetle on its back

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

tree trunks are underwater at the river's edge bo...

2006-04-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

tree trunks are underwater
at the river's edge

boils appear along the levees

a sign tells me Burger King
has kept the green fringe
of the freeway clean

day by day vineyards vanish
beneath the thick blades of scrapers

cell phone towers mark the journey home

a mockingbird owns the evening and morning air

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

flecks of memory of the Khumbu in the high Himalay...

2006-04-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

flecks of memory
of the Khumbu in the high Himalaya

borne on a wind of rustling prayer flags
and bells around the necks of yaks

bridges washed away by forgotten monsoons

stone streets that double as streams

smoke filtering through a stone roof
that lacks a chimney

the sage-like smell of burning sunpati
present even when I blow my nose

animals grazing at the door of the tent

dung patties drying in the sun
across large boulders

a single cry from black crows
the only living creatures
at the top of the world

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

some of the evening's sounds can be detected with ...

2006-03-28T10:09:00.000-08:00

some of the evening's sounds
can be detected with effort:

the furnace, a portable heater,
the whirring of two humidifiers

a final exchange of information:
the bunny is walking to the library
and the sole animal at the zoo is a cow

my two boys wear moustaches of chafed skin
from a cold that has settled in for the spring

the picture on the weather summary
shows clouds, rain and two lightning bolts

wind chimes swing in the porch light

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

looking for a tennis ball in a hedge of jasmine m...

2006-03-20T10:27:00.000-08:00

looking for a tennis ball
in a hedge of jasmine

my son's voice just above my ear
"bah" "bah" "bah" "bah"

repeatedly finding the same gray sock
and a landscaper's business card
under the branches, shadows and leaves

"bah" "bah" "bah"

the sharp smell of compost
sticking to my arms

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

not much older than my son on a lawn that sloped e...

2006-03-16T20:59:00.000-08:00

not much older than my son
on a lawn that sloped eastward
I would lay my head on the belly
of a gray German Shepherd

her breathing lifted me slightly
the smell of grass and dog fur
shapeless sky and T.V. antenna

she tolerated the burden
never quite settled
but too faithful to move

on her side
with head at attention

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

I bring the baby's pajamas to the shower to rinse ...

2006-03-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

I bring the baby's pajamas to the shower
to rinse after a blowout
(wondering how poop
made it to his collar)

and track the stains
with a bar of soap
as the blue cotton
grows heavy in my hands

I wring the water out
and spread the pajamas over tile
at the foot of the tub

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

my slippers want for insulation tonight as I grind...

2006-03-14T11:25:00.000-08:00

my slippers want for insulation tonight
as I grind coffee in the garage
in order not to wake the boys

I perceive faint steam in my breath
and between pulses of the machine
enjoy the percussion of rain
from exposed rafters

a metropolis of spiders await their meals
leaves pepper the cement floor
a deflated baby pool is draped
over the ladder

the world may end
but the day does not end

coffee beans turn to granules
turn to grains, turn to powder

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

power lines hum in the moist air and provide sligh...

2006-03-12T13:22:00.000-08:00

power lines hum in the moist air
and provide slight variation for the cold sky

my son has learned the word "latte"
"Daddy, lah-tay" "Daddy, lah-tay"
relishing every syllable

we take down streamers from his 2nd birthday
removing thumbtacks from drywall

a single crack in the ceiling paint
marks the settling of the house
into its foundation

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

there is a heavy door between our garage and famil...

2006-03-08T22:28:00.000-08:00

there is a heavy door
between our garage and family room
that closes on its own
with the sound of a twisting cork

on the outside is a sign that reads
"no black-soled shoes in the kitchen"
on the inside is a sign that reads
"did you put your breakfast dishes in the dishwasher?"

visitors frequently comment on the signs
which have long been invisible
to the intended audience

in the entryway
random stains on the carpet
darken between cleanings
and never disappear

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry)

coffee cups and telephones hide in the upper shelv...

2006-03-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

coffee cups and telephones
hide in the upper shelves
of the bedroom closet

remnants of leaves along the gutters
form their own shelf
and receive the slope of the roof

wet streets make the tires "shush"

a brilliant yellow flashes
among the goldfinches

blossoms have (incredibly) come and gone

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry)

a yellow jeep navigates the bottom of the bathtub ...

2006-03-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

a yellow jeep navigates the bottom of the bathtub
as ducks, purple fish, and Jonah (of Biblical fame)
float above

my son's hand leaves the jeep
and reaches out to wash my face
with clumsy, delicate movements

the hand moves on to an oversized washcloth
stuffing as much as possible into the mouth
and then moves on again

the washcloth remains hanging from his mouth
and covers half his torso
as he openly stares into my eyes

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

on our bathroom counter is a hairspray can of impr...

2006-03-03T09:05:00.000-08:00

on our bathroom counter
is a hairspray can of impressive proportions
reasonably priced per volume

during the summer
we are also in the frequent company
of a hummingbird's shadow on the wall
due to the feeder outside

a family of four congregates in this room
as the morning's pace begins to quicken
two by vanity, one by infancy
and one by simple choice

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

I set up a desk for my little boy next to mine whi...

2006-03-01T08:58:00.000-08:00

I set up a desk for my little boy next to mine
which has proved more rewarding than I imagined

the parallels are uncanny

spill-proof insulated coffee mug
Pooh sippy cup

latest mortgage offers and free magazines
latest coloring books and papers gathered from anywhere

jar of pens
tub of crayons

checkbook
silver VW piggy bank
(which has always held, off and on,
the same penny)

predilection for gazing out the window
ditto

and when he works he sings
the words are anyone's guess
but the melody is unmistakable

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

looking down from the dentist chair I see a long p...

2006-02-27T14:48:00.000-08:00

looking down from the dentist chair
I see a long puddle in the parking lot

clouds move across the surface
through a plastic grocery bag
and into a belly of asphalt

awaiting my fate
a slight tremor in my arms and legs
I follow them as best I can

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry)

I remember green strawberries not much larger than...

2006-02-25T08:34:00.000-08:00

I remember green strawberries
not much larger than a few peas

my son would beat the bushes with his hands
until he felt them
ants and dirt emerging
on his arms and diaper

he would bring me the green treasure
to remove the stem and debris
then take it back for careful chewing
with newfound teeth

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

I paused while leaving a voicemail there was a new...

2006-02-23T22:21:00.000-08:00

I paused while leaving a voicemail
there was a new white cross by the road
letters written squarely with care
blades of grass discernible in the foreground

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry)

morning frost covers the deck like snow treacherou...

2006-02-22T20:57:00.000-08:00

morning frost covers the deck like snow
treacherous to my slippers
as I evacuate a squirrel from the birdfeeder

my two-year-old watches through the sliding door
incredulous
perhaps the only time
he does not follow me out

even as the freeway drones in the distance
there is a wildness
cold, solitude, uncommon, still
that overrides both task and comfort

the little boy just seems to know
without seeking or being caught
it's there

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)

kneeling backwards in the big green chair my two-y...

2006-02-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

kneeling backwards in the big green chair
my two-year-old restless under my arm
waiting for cars and trucks to drive past the window

"cah" he shouts as the dark landscape remains unchanged
then "gruck", then again "cah"

a faint glow hovers over the street at the edge of our vision
then headlights appear moving swiftly closer
"cah" "cah" "cah" "gruck"

the engine's song quickly fades from the empty street
our heartbeats settle into place
"cah"

(Search Categories: Poems Poetry Parenting)