More Than Bones (Us)

a museum trip
to learn English with a twist
and these masked smiles

i drive buses now 
because taking them places
is what matters most

the joy in their eyes
as they immerse themselves 
is universal

Homecoming Comes Home

spirit week beckons
dynamic duos, western.
even better: grins.

even behind masks
you can see my girls’ smiles
(it’s hope. returning.)

and the Finger Lakes 
connecting the three of us 
in this Denver school

let’s not forget hats
of the Colorado kind
western girls, my girls

a Denver date day
trains, bikes, breweries, face masks
how i love this one

'welcome to our house'
they even opened their car
to the teens’ delight

if they could see them
maybe they could listen; help them
maybe they’d be safe

this is how it starts:
with a circle and some words
and a little hope

family tradition:
plant trees for graduates
and watch how they grow

my mother's tree stands
at my great-aunt's former home
taller than us all

my sister's tree shades
disappearing middle-class 
(our childhood home)

and my tree shocks me
evading the ash borer
with grandiose grace

these rare teen moments
everyone together; joy
minus jobs, school, stress

my mother’s birthday 
surrounded by flowers, kids,
laughter in all forms

snowy petals fall
as spring goslings first appear
(seasoned mockery)

all i want today
is to watch the sunlight shift
on these reborn blooms

the blue-sky morning
can't capture a year of loss
(oh Lord, that sweet scent)

yet afternoon light
so perfectly shines rosy
(ends this hell-frost year)

when April snow comes,
she draws perfect silhouettes 
before spreading soil