Sustenance
1: Spirit
The breeze was an endearing thing
that sank deeply in my heart.
A lawn sprinkler splashed the markers.
The pastor spoke some words about Christ.
2: Sustenance
The sprinkler sends tendrils
of grace taken by gravity
upon the oleander's blossoms,
the daisy and the rockrose.
Sam Cooke sings on the radio.
3: Song
The evening lingered with
a moist heat—the windows open
and only a song drifts in
from my neighbor's open window.
4: Dusk
The sprinkler on the lawn
cannot keep it alive. Summer,
I walk through the yard
bare-chested, drinking beer,
until it feels good again.
5: July
At dusk the heat lingers;
the lake turns pink. Cows
herd by the still reeds.
Driving by in a dark car
I say to you, "Look."
6: August
Brilliant and aloof, the zinnias'
pompoms rose—glowing—like many,
colored moons among the hellish,
august weeds in the arid dusk.
7: Dragonflies
The iris has bloomed. The heat
has come—now the swords
have bent and turned brown.
Yet the dragonflies still visit.
8: Ruth's Funeral
Most of the men wore dark
sunglasses. The ladies grieved
in light, summer dresses. The pastor
seemed at peace with his work.
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