"Verge ( Read more... )

"Spent ( Read more... )

"The Embrace ( Read more... )

"Faith ( Read more... )

"Tiara"
Mark Doty

Peter died in a paper tiara
cut from a book of princess paper dolls;
he loved royalty, sashes

and jewels. I don’t know,
he said, when he woke in the hospice,
I was watching the Bette Davis film festival

on Channel 57 and then-
At the wake, the tension broke
when someone guessed

the casket closed because
he was in there in a big wig
( Read more... )

“Brilliance”
Mark Doty

Maggie's taking care of a man
who's dying; he's attended to everything,
said goodbye to his parents,

paid off his credit card.
She says Why don't you just
run it up to the limit?

but he wants everything
squared away, no balance owed,
though he misses the pets

he's already found a home for
-- he can't be around dogs or cats,
( Read more... )