Shannon Costello

right now
driving down thunder hill road
i wonder
if i’m passing by my future self,
which will be running
down this same road
an hour from now
and then i imagine
all my past and future selves
running and driving
all at the same time
up and down this same road

As I prepare to clean the oven,
I peruse the warnings carefully giv’n.
“Of this fine cleaner, please, beware!
Mind our cautions and take care!”
“Twill rot your eyes and burn your skin-
And hurt your throat- so don’t breath in!
Allow fresh air, ventilation bold-”
“Oh no!” I cried, “It’s much too cold!”
With purpose set and gloves in hand
I [...]

I wonder why the swooping blue jay seems to get it all.
His song is lovely echoed chimes, (though raucous is his call)-
Bright blue, jet black and shining white all contrast in his plumage-
With looks and actions bold he’s in the center of the scrimmage.
Then there’s the simple starling, who’s possessed of but a name.
His walk [...]

The birds are above on the feeder—
Fluttering wings,
Feathers ruffled,
Feasting.
The squirrels are below—
Flirting tails,
Ferreting out fallen seeds,
Fattening.
The cat crouches silently in the bushes—
Unmoving.
Unhurried.
Forgotten.

Wandering curling tendrils of cucumber vine grasped
At delicate lacy leaves of nodding tomato plant-
Less than friendly motive here, fragile leaf now firmly clasped-
“Come dance with me, my brother!”
Gardener, fearing loss of juicy fruit, luscious, ripe, and red
Drinks in smell of verdant garden growing in rich turned-up soil
Knot untying, gently prying tender leaf from [...]

The cathedral arches high—
dominating grandly,
ornate in stony magnificence,
tremendous.
People mill about—
chattering happying,
[...]

I used to be
content to lurk
below the surface—
hiding in my own shadow,
but then CJ went away
and I was lost and lonely
so I left my shelter
and came up to the surface
to see what there was to see
and I saw me
talking to myself
and my car
and posting on the fringe.

There’s a cat-shaped hole in my life
Not as raw, but definitely there
It swells out when I come home and open the door
It hurts me when I walk into the study
He used to raise his head and give a plaintive mew
Asking for love
A cat-shaped hole, but something else, too
I’ve learned something-
Learned that stories have endings
Learned about [...]