Three Quatrains

Desolation

Yes it’s tough to be far from salvation,

and with no one this close I can blame;

swing a stick at the heart of the problem,

pull the trigger before taking aim.

Attenuation

Just as shingle at ebb tide is troubled
less and less by smother, glisten, froth,
so we survey less damage after each fresh storm,
anticipate the sun, the sea far off.

Jubilation

When it goes well it spikes for good –
not through skin but into the sky;
infecting and scarring reserved for days
in picture books, misunderstood.

Alternative:

When it goes well it spikes for good –
not through skin but into the sky!
Infection and fever reserved for the days

the dark divides and multiplies.