Dragon Fangs

Dragon Fangs

The albino dragon of winter

swallows the house.

Its glass fangs

hang over the gutters

and windows

glinting in the light,

sharp points dripping

with melted snow saliva,

the jaws of a trap

ready to crash down

on any unsuspecting victim

who chooses to leave

the safety of the house.

The only warning is 

a single drop

of icy venom

that trickles down 

the back of your neck

as you go out the door

making you shiver

head to toe

and side to side.

Quickening your step,

 you feel the frosty breath

of the monster behind you,

and you rush away from the door

and glance over your shoulder,

not wanting to see it,

and yet, 

not being able to look away.

This poem and these photos are especially for my friend Mildred 

who looks forward to seeing the icicles on my house every winter.  :-)

Concrete Manatees

Another poem based on photos from my Florida trip.



Concrete Manatees

I can't stop wondering how this came to be.
Why would a person wake up one day 
and decide, "My mailbox should be held up by... 
a concrete manatee!"

And what's more, is that, 
they didn't stop there
with that random oddity.
They decided on not one, but THREE!
Two little ones and one BIG 
concrete manatee.

Is the mail that arrives 
better somehow
when it is cradled in the flippers 
of a beady-blue-eyed, 
cement sea cow?

And then, just a short way down the street
another mailbox caught my eye
there on bent- pipe stilt legs
a pink flamingo was standing by!

There must be something 
in the air by the sea
to cause these bouts of whimsy.
These poor folks just lose their heads
in random flights of fantasy!

A Bird by the Water

A Bird by the Water

Imagine being a bird

that lives by the water

with nothing to ruffle your feathers

but an occasional sea breeze.

You spend your day

playing tag with the tide,

and your biggest worry

is finding the perfect dock post in the evening--

a place to roost and watch the sun go down.