BrokenEchoes

  The world is waking up from the cold night of winter Redbuds and dogwoods bloom Bringing a streak of cooler days But reminding us of the coming summer Or warning us The hills grow greener each day Grass is growing, causing an intermittent buzz of mowers It harmonizes with the buzz of insects increasing activity They crawl and fly and drone incessantly Birds are singing more and more Snakes and spiders and small mammals awaken and wander Seed are being planted, watered, and cared for Gardens are being planned, prepared, and implemented Warm clothes have been packed away Spring is here and the days are growing longer I thought they were long enough  

Neither of us is attentive I stopped listening when I was younger When he was younger too Back then he spoke in anger And listened to the bottle I shrank from his words Learned to distrust them I could say nothing that interested him He is older now, but communication hasn’t improved He listens to the book now Taking notice of little else He talks in feigned meekness Forgetting willfully the past barbarity My trust hasn’t recovered as fully as my bones His softer up-to-date language Does not penetrate my skin We talk,  but only superficially We speak, but it is formulaic And mundane We exchange words, But neither of us really says anything In a way The empty bland chatter hurts worse  Than the belts and backhands In another way It hurts far worse.

  Waking slowly in the morning A soft rain in the Kentucky hills Coffee on the porch And bare feet in the grass Napping in the afternoon Soup beans on the stove Cornbread in the oven Then dinner at the table Dishes in the drainer Reading in my favorite chair Cat purring on the couch Relaxing for the weekend.