Remains and Eleanor

Remains

barren bowl

contours smooth

shelf breaks

shards stacked

spread in earth circle

harboring celery stalks,

tomatoes, parsley, and beets

birds peck at fruit

then, as if remembering,

fly hurriedly away

child places finger

on edges worn

sees patterns through grime

touches the past

as shadows kiss

Eleanor

you clutch your coat

like a new lover

too weary to remove your shoes

the covers, your clothes, and that coat

scab you for hours

your lungs scream

you leap up

tear off those shrouds

and lay back down

a fish on damp paper

bleeding from three hooks

you must do the thing

you think you cannot do

you open your eyes on

your orphan morning