In the Barn

         For Uncle Ken Nights, he milks under a cobwebbed bulb fixed low in ancient rafters. He has sat there forever, red-rimmed black rubber boots settled on urine-soaked floor. His head rests on tawny flanks of mother, then daughter. As his father taught, his hands squeeze with practiced rhythm. The only sounds […]

The Gathering

At the funeral of the father of my childhood friend we watched the priest wave the thurible around the casket, the incense purifying his hundred and one year old soul. The smoke drifted up into the light coming through stained glass high on the wall of the church, the colors separating into components, coming apart, […]