John Pappas

online auction

placing a bid on

my childhood

—John Pappas

fossil hunting

a shoebox full

of love letters

—John Pappas

John Pappas

protest march

singing and dancing

in the reign

—John Pappas

boulevard blues

the breathy vocals

of a neon glow

—John Pappas

winter grape

a lullaby sung

to herself

—John Pappas

wintersweet

this wish to

bloom again

—John Pappas

John Pappas

circling vultures

the answer to a question

no one asks

John Pappas

city fountain

unable to afford

one wish

John Pappas

spring wind

the sadness of

zoo elephants

John Pappas

heat lightning

she pretends to remember

my name

John Pappas

John Pappas

shushing myself

a walk through

dry leaves

John Pappas

John Pappas

winter lavender how I know you’re here

John Pappas

dropping blossoms

how little of this world

is ours
 

John Pappas

John Pappas

silvering the pond morning minnows

John Pappas

the late late show

unwilling to sleep

in an empty bed

John Pappas

 

 

climate change the dogs she follows on instagram

John Pappas

John Pappas

bare branches

the loneliness of

not knowing

John Pappas

autumn chill

I seed my lawn

with crows

John Pappas

after the storm—

the bright shards of the

broken pot

John Pappas

dark matter

the secrets I keep

from myself

John Pappas

John Pappas

funeral lilies

the young father learns

to french braid

John Pappas

between

that and this

winter rain

John Pappas

flood watch

she tells me again

it is what it is

John Pappas

white asters stay and wild a while

John Pappas

root rot

another far-off war

on television

John Pappas

John Pappas

atlas every road the wrong way home

John Pappas

John Pappas

buzz cut

we get it before

chemo does

John Pappas

John Pappas

surprising our grief the cuckoo clock

John Pappas

*

 

day’s end

pouring himself four fingers

of darkness

John Pappas

John Pappas

after the storm

the earthworm asks

a question

John Pappas

John Pappas

year of the rabbit

signing over power

of attorney

John Pappas

John Pappas

moonless night always assuming the worst

John Pappas

*

 

harvest moon

what to do

with the time we get

John Pappas

*

 

drifting clouds

an empty nest fills

with moonlight

John Pappas

John Pappas

owl light

what I would

do differently

John Pappas

John Pappas

potter’s field

even the wind

unnamed

John Pappas

John Pappas

on both sides

of the tracks –

burial ground

John Pappas

John Pappas

sun-burned grass all these useless words

John Pappas

*

 

empty mall

all the mannequins dressed

in darkness

John Pappas

John Pappas

after midnight

on the country road billboard

a model smiles at nothing

John Pappas

John Pappas

waving wild switchgrass how little we know

John Pappas