After scary sickness, weeks in bed,
today I'm better.
Head clear. Body hollow, sixteen
pounds shed in sweat and snot.
So I call Dial-A-Lawyer,
write a will by phone.
Drive to the city, Social Security
to register my daughter
who is unknown by the state,
born at home
one year to this date.
Bring her along as proof.
Paperwork.
Plan a death and record a birth.
My beloved bakes a cake. One candle.
I'm still a bit shaky. Can't rest.
Where's my tool belt?
It's time to build toys. A wagon.
A house. Soon.
A life for this daughter.
first published in Snapdragon Winter 2016
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Construction Zone
PoetryThere's dirt under my fingernails, sawdust in my hair. I'm proud to say I hammer nails. Install toilets. Hang drywall. Welcome to the construction zone. Note: I've had to "unpublish" a few poems from this collection because they are going to appear...
