The Shades Pulled Up and Down

1.

A gaudy omen outside my neighbor’s window,
bougainvillea’s flash mob of purple miniskirts.
Let autocorrect create the comic simile.
Today is like another opportunity
for sinning.

2.

The Canadian geese on a long sabbatical
from their career of migration—
they enjoy this new-found park so much
they may never go back to work.
Their maps have folded in disobedience.

3.

Enough of bad weather, the hot and littered streets,
a single dandelion roaring at the speedsters.
I’m jealous of people who believe lead floats.
The tongues of my shoes lap at my feet.

Cathryn Shea's poetry collection is "Genealogy Lesson for the Laity" (Unsolicited Press); her chapbooks include "Backpack Full of Leaves" and "It's Raining Lullabies." A Best of the Net nominee, her poetry has appeared widely in journals and anthologies. See www.cathrynshea.com