Roses and Rain (Two Short Poems)

Red Roses Bloom

•

if you walk past,

you’ll see in the garden

red roses abloom

•

perhaps, I think,

they are you

•

because when

frost’s fade comes,

I still see that hue

in my sleep; in

chance encounters

while tending to

other flowers…

•

I’ve learned

to love them all the more

•

invite them in

my open door, where

you’ll always be

welcome

•••

•••

•••

This Rain

•

In my sleep,

I hear gunshots

•

and awaken

with a darting

chest-feeling

to fat raindrops

smacking metal rooftops

•

Just yesterday

my English friend asked:

“What is it with Americans and guns?”

•

Americans and guns

I count droplets in the dark

lives undone