Aidan Rooney
Solstice
Noon. The sun lays no shadow on theground
around the aerial footprint ofthings.
Doilies of shaded earth alignbeneath
tomato plants whose stakes can’ttell the time.
The watering can can stick its neckout
all it wants. A hose lies in a slither.
The patio trunk that took allmorning
to right itself, reins in itscanopy.
The bottle has a halo on itsshoulder.
No glint lights on the glass youhave to lift
to see the sun burn at the heart ofit.
A ripe Banon or aVache de Charlais,
right out of its chestnut leaves, can parley
the udder bouquet of milch cows or goats
into taste. About as good as it gets.
❦
Colin James
That which Appropriates
It took up most of the kitchen
and a good portion of the hallway floor.
A queue had begun to form in the early hours
and now extended many blocks
ending at the Jordan's house under
the large oak with the cement reinforcement.
Young Sally was running the lemonade stand.
She couldn't answer the reporter's question
regarding frequency of use,
and quickly coalesced.
Her desperate adlibbing stalling for time,
"This Snack From Hell!"
RecluseThe locks work well,
no thieves at all have gotten past.
Movement imagined in the begonia bush,
perhaps a possum
or a masked raccoon?
A shape too small for an acquaintance.
I have yet to build a balcony out
extending like a virtue.
❦
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