I Am My Own Mississippi River 

Stretch marks tattoo my body

like running streams 

from my sides

to my thighs

and blend with my skin

as if always there, 

and they, 

these moving rivers, 

complete me. 

Spreading Rumors 

Whispers echo 

down the hall

into awaiting ears

who hungrily crave

the disastrous gossip

that oozes from the lips

of liars. 

Dreams of An Insignificant

I am the drummer

who plays the hardest

for the crowd, 

but their eyes

are locked 

on the vocalist.

Good Morning Sunshine!

Grandaddy calls me sunshine                                                         

because I wake up 

late in the day 

after the sun has risen, 

but his teasing nickname

has stayed, 

and I know to him

I am his afternoon

sunrise. 

A Soldier’s Reason 

I shut my eyes,

hold out my hands,

and reach for steadiness 

as I’m led into the next room

by a loved one. 

As I slowly open them, 

tears gush down my cheeks

like a dam now broken

as I run into the arms

of my protector

who left for war.