Evolution of a Smile

a question mark
among unfinished 
foliage

a conundrum
on flowerless knees

these ankles are 
hyperboles

these elbows 
announce themselves
with the urgency of clouds
on a horseless 
afternoon

after all

it’s only rock ’n’ roll
a cheshire cat
and a moon playing
ping pong 
with your eyes

like two spoons
waiting their whole lives 
for harvest

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I apologize for not having published over the past few weeks. Life’s been busy, and if I’m to be honest, I haven’t been feeling particularly creative. I do, however, have one piece of news that’s worth sharing: I saw The Rolling Stones live when they played in Charlotte last week…which has been the highlight. I also saw Lindsey Buckingham the week before, and if you’ve been following this blog for awhile, you know what a big fan I am of his. He was phenomenal, but The Stones–well, that was likely once in a lifetime.

Anyway. For the first time in awhile, I was delighted to wake up and find myself in a poetic mood this morning. This poem shares its title with–and was partially inspired by– a collage I created recently, but which I don’t feel is good aesthetic fit for this post. That said, I wanted to include it here, just in a less prominent way.

I’ve been having fun with some cabinet cards I picked up at a local antique store, an old Grey’s Anatomy book, and a vintage field guide to birds of North America. I also picked up an old pocket guide to fish on the same trip, which is proving useful for a few works currently in progress.

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If you enjoy my poetry, you can find my latest chapbook, Has Had Paradise, on Etsy. Twenty of my best poems. Bound by hand to order.