win harms has been published in several anthologies, websites, and
has two books published. she lives in lille, france though she spent her
formative years in philadelphia.
CALIFORNIA
you were thinking of taking flight
i was thinking of you
you were talking of california
i was talking about fire
you were dreaming of california
i was dreaming of you
you hung up the phone
leaving me to dream about you
we were speaking in tongues
i was wishing you near
you were talking about the desert
i was talking about love
you were dreaming of california
i was dreaming of you
you took flight early this morning
all my thoughts were with you
you left here without a word
my heart tore a little more
you were dreaming of california
i was left to dream about you
while you made yours come true
DESERT
my father never walked on paved roads
he would wander through the mountains
relishing in silence and stepping
to the beat of the melody in his mind
he would stroll in at sundown and
be gone again by morning
without a sound, without goodbyes or regret
my father was a stranger but his searches
compel me and i follow
my father watches me run and
reminds me to walk
he sees me near tears and tells me to
stay strong
my father never walked on paved roads
and neither do i
FARMER
mcinnley kidd sat silently in
his countenance on a torn red
barstool next to the jar of
pickled eggs and jerky
after a hard day working
the land he felt he
deserved a miller light
or two or three
he drank for love lost
he drank because of the drought
he and his fellow farmers
used this part of the day
to unwind and talk about the
weather or the new calf born at dawn
as the bar got fuller the drinks
when down smoother and
kid as they called him
would wonder aloud what
happened to the good old days
when crops brought in enough
that he had a little money
in the bank and his wallet
now he barely made it
even with his social security
coming every month
but tomorrow was his 70th
birthday and that was enough
to grin and bear it
~Win Harms
~Win Harms