John J. Dunphy

God

god

a god

no god

John J. Dunphy

visitation

the deceased and I wear

the same color tie

John J. Dunphy

communion Sunday

our church's body of Christ

gluten-free

John J. Dunphy

By John J. Dunphy

midnight melody

our cat walks

on the piano keys

John J. Dunphy

*

 

backyard

a squirrel chows down on

my aunt’s fruitcake

John J. Dunphy

*

 

freeze warning

I put out extra food for

my feral cats

John J. Dunphy

By John J. Dunphy

hailstorm

alley-drinkers take refuge

in a dumpster

John J. Dunphy

*

desert highway

hitchhiker struck by

a tumbleweed

John J. Dunphy

By John J. Dunphy

birding walk

a cardinal provides

the soundtrack for

our first kiss

John J. Dunphy

swimming match

winner's face wet

with tears

John J. Dunphy

By John J. Dunphy

solar eclipse

from the woods

sound of crickets

John J. Dunphy

church fire

its steeple bell rung by

fire hose water

John J. Dunphy

John J. Dunphy

our free-range chickens

now fenced

by shadows

—John J. Dunphy

washing my hands

with French-milled soap

after scattering her ashes

—John J. Dunphy 

John J. Dunphy

time on my hands

I gather up sand from

a broken hourglass

— John J. Dunphy

at 71

all drugs I do

prescribed by doctors

—John J. Dunphy

By John J. Dunphy

politician's speech

I stop his lying

by pressing mute

John J. Dunphy

 

 

high-end church

its communion wine

very dry

John J. Dunphy

John J. Dunphy

his last road trip

my friend arrives

at the cemetery

—John J. Dunphy

outdoor nativity scene

one of the Wise Men

facing the wrong way

—John J. Dunphy

By John J. Dunphy

wedding anniversary

husband selects a bouquet

at the cemetery

John J. Dunphy

*

weightlifter

trembling as he picks up

his newborn son

John J. Dunphy

By John J. Dunphy

I blinked and missed it —

the present

became the past

John J. Dunphy

alley drinkers

veterans of different wars share

the same bottle

John J. Dunphy

John J. Dunphy

outdoor nativity scene

one of the Wise Men

facing the wrong way

—John J. Dunphy

his last road trip

my friend arrives

at the cemetery

—John J. Dunphy 

By John J. Dunphy

baby boomer activist

now organizing protests

in her nursing home

John J. Dunphy

*

 

yard sale Bible

a bird's nest drawn on

its family tree

John J. Dunphy

By John J. Dunphy

'no commitment'

advertised policy of the gym where

she picked me up

John J. Dunphy

*

 

reindeer under either arms

my wife and I begin

de-Christmasing our yard

John J. Dunphy

John J. Dunphy

nursing home dad waters his dead plant —John J. Dunphy

By John J. Dunphy

my bibliophile friend

an unread book beside him

in the coffin

John J. Dunphy

John J. Dunphy

fishing

I get lots of bites

from mosquitos

—John J. Dunphy

By John J. Dunphy

after the fire

we comb the ashes for

our lucky horseshoe

John J. Dunphy

By John J. Dunphy

estate sale

a pair of golf shoes

still new in the box

John J. Dunphy

By John J. Dunphy

walking my dog

tonight's dusk scented by

burnt leaves

John J. Dunphy