November 2024
Bio Note: My poems ferment in Lanacaster County, Pennsylvania and often take the color and flavor of the Amish country landscape. Some current work appears in in Heron’s Nest, Spillwords and Poetry Hall.
Head Banger
a disruptor of birdsong
smacks the bedroom window
unfortunately
the bird in the glass
hitches a ride
with his attacker
one window over
an otherwise lyrical cardinal
begins head banging again
the pillow over my ears
does not help...
Chance Meeting
My husband brakes the car
behind an Amish buggy.
From the carriage window
three young faces stare at us:
two little brothers
in black suits and straw hats
and in the middle, their baby sister
in bonnet and long dress.
Child eyes study English ones
on the creek road.
On a two lane stretch
with twists and curves,
horse and car travel in tandem.
The baby lifts a hand,
wiggles her fingers.
We smile and wave back.
Encouraged, she braces herself
against her mother's body,
thrusts small arms and hands
out the open buggy window
and pumps up and down
in a whole body wave.
When the road straightens and clears,
we pass the family.
The baby's glee travels with us
for miles and months
over back country roads.
That little girl in the rearview mirror
is still waving.
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