THE THIEVES

Aunt Dee, a widow woman said,
how late at night the winos
off the tracks
crept to her windows
stooped beneath the sill
discussing into morning
what to steal
She had a loaded gun
beneath her bed

Aunt Ann, her sister,
was apt to boast
she knew the full extent
of their dire thoughts
she told straight out
they likely meant
to slip some unknown night
into her bed
to find if she was spinster
like folks said
and steal from her
more value than her sister's
fake pearls and ivory pins
and cameos
She had no gun at all
she had me know

STAR FACES

Sometimes when the stars
string across the sky
in neat lines
I can see my grandmother
hang a new wash
from their corners
and lift her head sighing
at the fresh scent

There are people I love
just above the sky
my brother singing the last
lyrics he ever wrote
his feet tapping time
on a full moon
I believe falling stars
are familiar faces
looking too closely
for family and friends
longing toward earth
to begin again

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