The Flower

for Austin

An open meadow, high in the mountains.

I sit cross-legged in a full skirt,

comfortable on the warm spring ground,

and there is suddenly a flower in my lap,

petal overlapping petal,

white as a formal invitation

in the sky-blue valley of my skirt.

Decoding the Y Chromosome

If you place a few toy trucks with two small boys,

they will likely weave these into a screenplay

that will occupy the better part of an afternoon.

There will be drama and conquest and chase,

but often too, just when you think all hope is

lost in the heat of battle, generosity.