Purple Hearts

First published in True Colour (Redmond, Washington: City of Redmond, 2014).

thawing river—

a whiff of lavender

in a thank-you note

a florid bruise

on the protester’s thigh

homeschooling—

the kids insist

I sing along with Barney

grapes in the arbor

covered in dust . . .

an osprey’s calligraphy

the eggplant added last

to the guest’s plate

at the gravesite

mother says something

about a purple heart