Holding your tongue, you start to pray

When you see your child who went away

Come home from college with bright pink hair

With

WORDS ONCE SPOKEN

When wise men speak what they say makes sense

When foolish people speak they usually contradict themselves

The window opens at quarter to three

Nothing happening here, nothing to see

Ticking hope still drives that sill skyward

Hope

Such a simple test
That will flunk even the very best
Early, late, and usually just all day long
Beating down others in trying

Old

They scrabble for me <

with their gnarled twisted fingers

malshaped palms that have not delicacy

or art left