Presence And here too, in the place that loved you back,your absence grows; in the guillotine of green-house glass, in a trellis slung from the hips of a rose.The sun hangs in an empty feeder,...

Dead CrabsIt was you who noticed themand placed the first dead crab(no larger than a ten pence coin)in my palm.Its legs were tucked under its shelland one pincer was missing.The tide had left...

Cartoon CharacterisationContrary to popularbelief, Yosemite Samis a keen advocateof gun control and a staunchvegetarian. He doesn’t evenlive inYosemite. Instead, heshares an apartment inthe Castro...

Tool-kitJust before the end,the ward sister told ushow the nursing auxiliaryfound her sitting up one day,using the pointed endof a metal nail-file, tryingto adjust a little spring-valvethat...

CrossIt’s stupid to argue about why I waste food and why you spent your childhood licking plates. Now I’m sulking in the bathroom staring at rust on the radiator, listening for your careful voice...

How she goesAnd after allhow goes she forwardwhen the wind blows in our face?Forces like clasping hands converge,Mark says - sail pushed sideways,keel resisting  ...

Frank“My husband was called Frank,”she announces, and her words hang in the moment like icicles,stunned by the sound of his name. We try to plumb her memory furtherbut Frank is spirited...

(new recruit)curled uphe blows into his handsthought deserts were hotand traded his gloves on the plane(fried lunch)catfish greasedrips on my jeansreminder of my mother's love*Corey Hutchins has...

Little blue egg In bed of grass and twigs, Little blue egg liesWith siblings four or five. To the side of gravel road,Little blue egg lostAnd plucked from home. From trunk and...