Mike Farley

stolen kisses
barn swallows twitter
in the eaves

pale moon . . .
not half the man
I used to be

50th reunion
everyone much older
than me

summer storm . . .
the warm spot where
the dental nurse leans

soft breeze–
a glimpse
of her thigh

sunny again . . .
black cows in deep snow
by the gate

frosty morning–
the foal watches its mother
nudge my pocket

frozen moon–
a third glass of red wine
before bed

red coals . . .
she persuades me
to stay in bed

alone
learning stillness
from the sandstone

leaf twister–
wrens huddle
on the porch rail

moon shadows–
the elk herd bedded down
by the highway

dry heat–
magpies raise hell
outside the courthouse

dusty road–
Grizzly hair
in the barbed wire

time with dad–
potato salad
on the headstone

timberline–
breathing hard at the top
of the switchbacks

rock slide–
a passing cloud leaves the sun
where it was

honeysuckle–
even the word
sounds delicious

pine tops sway–
a shifting dazzle of sun
on the wet grass

sleeping cat–
a soft curl of fog
over the ridgetop

first light–
the chatter of small birds
everywhere

almost summer–
new snow in all the
potted plants

morning sun …
a new shadow under
the sorrel mare

cottonwood–
a plastic dump truck
in the freckled shade

carnival–
feeling the seam
of my empty pocket

stiff wind–
the bull bares
his teeth

lupine–
a darker blue
in the hoofprints

stillness
along this snowpacked road
noises of small birds

quiet morning . . .
some of the fence
still standing

clearing fog–
reds, yellows and blues
dot the sled hill