Ode to 2012

More than ready to close
the book

on this year. New cases bought
and assembled. Shelves and volumes

remembered, dusted, rearranged. A new order—but
too much left

unsaid. A beautiful birth, a transformative
death, I stand

somewhere between
living my life.

Beware Neglected Candles (or, Another Year)

A weatherman’s heart,
a three-alarm
fire two miles south, the furnace

kicks in, a hiss
that warms, cause
unknown, to kick it

just for today,
let the cat out
the back door, safety

from what you think
you want, draws
to a close.