rustle on the ground
in the brisk wind,
harsh and dry,
the static between channels
as we switch
from hot
to cold.
Category: Pillow Book
Ethics
Is it possible
to be happy
without being selfish?
Is it possible
to smile and laugh
without ignoring someone’s sorrow?
Is it possible
to have
without taking?
How do I make an equal trade
so that both sides prosper?
Privilege and Ignorance
Your wealth and way of life
don’t make the world better.
They make your world better.
Don’t expect the people whose
time and money you take
to thank you for your crime
because you steal with a smile
and call it a bargain.
Lost Generations
I graduated into the Great Recession
It got better a few years later
My life didn’t
People younger than me have more
Earn more
Do more
People see the gaps in my resume
and they think I’m suspect
They’ve forgotten
It’s nice to forget the past
I’d like to forget it, too
But the past is also my present
So I bear the memories
Like a pariah
Silenced by the clamor
of other people’s success.
Kitten
I know there’s no such thing
as perfection
But you
are the closest I’ve come to it
Your tiny paws
Your little nose
Your soft fur
The way you curl up in my lap
All perfect to me
As perfect as can be
Fragile Things
White lace
Kittens
Old bones
The flutter of a pulse
The beat of a heart
Our lives
And the spirit that animates us
Signs of Fatigue
The shadow beneath an eye
Lines around a mouth that shape a frown
Worn wood and an old cloth
hanging from a rusted hook
the edges lighter than the rest
So light
and frayed
As if it’s fading into the air
Communication
I am trying to connect with you
My brain to your brain
Each packed separately
Within walls of bone
I’m using words
The only way to get them to you
is by the opening of your eyes.
Please open them, now
your mind, too
if it’s not too much trouble.
I will open my heart in return
as well as I can.
Let these words build a bridge
between you and me
across space
and the vast gulf of our differences.
Mercy
Why be merciless in the pursuit of justice
when you can be merciful instead?
Mercy is as easy as
walking away.
Just gather the pain and fury in your hands
and then let go.
Joy
As I water the garden
a breeze breaks through
the haze of heat.
Yellow leaves fall
in a golden dance
as if the wind has brought joy
and the trees shiver with delight.
K.A. Connolly 