ants crawl through

ants crawl through

his name—

my father's grave

father's grave

father's grave—

ant climbs out

to my hand

lying down

lying down
between storms
snow angel

kneeling by lilies

kneeling by lilies
bending
toward sunlight

Digging Yourself Deeper

It's surprisingly
difficult digging
yourself deeper;
bigger holes
require serious
effort. Rocks
figure increasingly.
Rendering edges
steeper becomes
onerous. Water
spurts from
fissures. Dirt
collapses inward.
The shovel
hits upon treasure.
We imagine
six feet under
fast affords us,
but earth hardens
past the depth
of gardens.
It marks
a lasting barrier,
the hole
in every failure.

The Late Bird

Pecking
regardless, he
seeks what can't
await. He checks
his hardest. The
order of patience
he demonstrates
is unique. Is
it outrageous
to hope the first
was careless?
Is it ungracious
to guess she kept
head only
and the rest
squirms on
unknowing, when
this requires
showing? What's
as yet unseen
is left alone
extremely rarely
by those who need
it dearly. They
ever search
beneath, beyond
their reach, where
their worm
does not die, not
surely. They're
caught short
early.

Subterranean Forces

Deep in the heart of the earth

There is a chapel

Where someone prays

Day and night

That things be corrected.

Somehow

The world turns and turns

And we barely notice

The slight upward tug

This generates.