the room full
of sobbing students—
acting two

open notebooks
on clean desks
drool marks the pages

after our talk
she walks home
in tears

changing season
one thing remains
her

smoking cigarettes
perched on a tree branch
blooming leaves

chilly twilight
on a roof
I hear your voice

autumn chill
I wait for my father
to answer the phone

head cold
I read my textbook
for the seventh time

in it
for the long haul
partners in crime

x-ray vision
I see
right through her

midnight laughter
we see the moon
differently

in the coffee shop
glances
are enough

don't ever leave
she murmurs
summer rain

long shower
I think
where am I going?

no sleeves
I look in the mirror
hard work pays off

early Sunday morning
church bells beckoning
I close my window

summer stars
interlaced between our fingers
the universe

fortune teller
she warms up
the farmer's coffee

silent theatre
I nod
to the accompanist

he sacrifices
his umbrella
to save my hair

everyone else
seems a mistake
summer night

mid-semester panic
she never expected
to fall in love

finals week
I burrow beneath
the blankets

the empty stage
tells its story
loud and clear

her hands loosely
placed on my chest
rain on the tin roof

September night sky
we learn a few things
about one another

water bugs
making ripples
in our reflection

sick day
no one here
to make me soup

tiny braid
in her bangs
a worry

thinking of you
I wash the dishes
twice

the first stars
fill the sky
I remember how we began

creepy serial killer
or best friend
the first crap-shoot

cool spring mud
I wash it
off her face

frozen night
on the roof
he apologies again

chilly autumn night
I walk quickly
to get my friend

unscrewing the cap
of my water jug
a conversation begins

movie night
understanding these friends
are now your family

a tight-rope walker
expertly crosses the rope
life at university

after the divorce
my Christian aunt
steals my spellbook

birthmark
never changing . . .
blemish or beauty?

religion lost
brush my cheek
broken mirror

gently falling snow
her silence
is overwhelming

coming home
with new experiences
my friends still having the same ones

first party
after the breakup
we kiss

Oakland avenue
my best friend
pole dances in the street

lying on cold grass
poor dove
without its mate

she says come over
we can watch a movie
with my boyfriend

slow dancing
like grown-ups
in the backyard

fall leaves
I fall
to one knee

summertime heat
the date night
grows cold

shopping with Mom
becomes a girls' night
Winter break

humid afternoon
reading his final letter
I lower my head to the ground

afternoon jog
she stops
for a heart shaped leaf

spring breeze
out for a run
a companion this time

she leaves
I couldn't see her tears
through the rain

the cocaine
in the boy's bathroom
at Sonic

uno para mi?
crunchy, cheesy
goodness

grocery store line
emotionless faces
hear the bell ringers

songbirds herald
in the sun
I conclude my thesis

sketching my hand
and noticing
the wedding band

pink post-it note
a hidden message
from my sister

roommate gone
get my computer
My Little Pony!

story time
accidentally finding
erotic fiction

leaves fall
at the Bronze Man's feet
beginnings

line of apples
our lights shine bright
homework party

deadline approaching
still I check
my Twitter

autumn leaves
everything changes
and so do we

college night
parents can't tell you
go to bed

so many smiles
so many lines
which ones are true?

fireflies
reflected in the sparkle
of our eyes

best friends
an entire conversation
with a tombstone