at home with her stuff

winter reveals

what spring buries in green

drought undresses

the creek bed and shore

exposes the root

the sun

lies shattered on ice

rain peels the paint

wind strips the clapboard clean

intoxicated ants

mill over roadkill deer

ravens divide

who feeds on the ants and wasps

what chews on the dust

who bathes in the ashes

among the many things

i find it hard to remain

2.

the responsibility

and fascination

with brocade

pearls and ebony beads

ruffled ribbons

on gold shopping bags

antique drawers

stuffed with ephemera

newsprint in silk bags

she lies there in sunlight

and lemon pledge

magazines in blankets

parquet collage

ivory and mother of pearl

inlay, chinoiserie

victorian green

plush upholstery

velvet and faux marble

and a glass bird

in a glass cage

in a plastic cube

i remember

when it shattered

in hot water

3.

so ugly

reduced to effort

at last

the scoured crevasse

collects dirt

for the dandelion

the small ferns

in wet walls

grow bright

the sticks of winter

inflamed