Left behind

What’s necessary?
The triage of memory.
A pyre to the past.

Packing to evacuate

Photos first, then the
baby albums. Love letters.
We can buy new clothes.

San Diego fire 2

Her view from the hill
– once so fine in good weather –
just blackened landscapes.

San Diego fire

Anne emails to say
smoke plumes rise like shrouds of loss.
Below, hell ablaze.

Problem

In bad rains bathroom
ceiling leaks. A slow tick tells
of water stains mapped.

Journalist

Writing about rape.
Prostitution. Injustice.
Happy talkie talk.

Can’t sleep 6

At 6:30 they
awake to find I’m still up.
The curse of deadlines.

Projection

Sometimes when others
envision us in new light,
we become realized.

Can’t sleep 5

Insomnia has
tattooed across my eyelids
its wide-awake stare.

Disbelief

Can it be midnight?
I’m losing track of time, hours
misplaced like lost keys.