A Life Saver

Discovered in my pocket,
it was red,
Slightly dissolved...and
a little fuzzy.

I plucked it free
from where it stuck,
next to the forgotten penny
unspent.

Cherry is my favorite.

rlm 8/1/01

Hunting for Blackberries in Sagatuk

Blackberries always grew by the side of the road,

Tourists jumped from Vista Cruisers to ravage those,

We searched deeper in the woods with blue plastic pails,

Closely following Grandma to her secret patch,

Where juicy blackberries waited only for us.

Morning sun burned off the chill an hour ago,

Squatting with stained fingers, tummies fuller than pails,

We battled sticker bushes for bigger berries,

Taking pride in that special find, holing it up high,

'Ladies and Gentlemen the worlds biggest black berry!'

Smiling at our silliness, Grandmother picked on,

Wide brimmed straw hat shading ruminating blue eyes,

She diligently filled two pails to carry home,

At our cottage, in cream with sugar, we ate more,

While Grandmother preserved the rest in Bell Jelly Jars.

rlm 8/2/01

Experience

Slow trigger squeeze
smooth action
never heard the
click-bang. Cold metal
tastes like
fresh blood, I think.
The moment of falling
slowly down
slips my memory now.
I never felt the
bullet ripping
my brain apart or
breaking through the back
of my skull.
Sulfur powder cloud
exploding in my eyes
didn't sting.
There wasn't any
comforting pain.

rlm 10-9-02