First light, dusky salmon,
tints the backyard like a sepia photo.
Finches flicker to the feeder, no chatter,
the fence behind them a waterlogged blush.
Still close to sleep, I shuffle onto the patio
this fuzzy morning flush with
a fog that mutes highway roar,
grackle caw and school-kid trill.
Whoever slipped a filter over the world
must have known I need more dream time
before the headlines kick in—some minutes to sip
a saucer of poems and watch edges harden.
writes poetry, edits fiction, plays the banjo, and knits obsessively in Tampa, Florida. Her poems have appeared in numerous publications, including Nimrod, Tar River Poetry, MacQueen’s Quinterly, Pirene’s Fountain, Valparaiso Poetry Review, and New Ohio Review. Her first collection, Notes from the Girl Cave, was published in 2020 by Kelsay Books.
