Leaving Home

Give them the advice gained over years.

Don't burn the house down
or at least make it look
like an electrical fire
and make sure
the way out
is still there
on the planogram.

Don't answer the door
unless they ring twice.

And stay away
from soft cheese.
It's good, but like potato chips
you'll never know when to quit
until it's too late.

Pets never know
and nothing is worse
than coming home to catastrophe.

The Sandbar Tree

The tree is looking at the glitter on the river.
The river is, thousand eyed, watching the tree.

The tennis ball goes, a skip, into the inch highs.
The dog is charging, fur whipping, after.

"Two feet deep, fifty yards out, at least."
The nods are a relief.  Hands still knit

waiting to see
if Oatmeal brings the ball back to shore
or plants it and wags his tail by the tree.