Andy Derryberry

kev
Kev, I’d have waited the few weeks
So I could see daffodils jump
From the ground one more time

Instead you took a turn
And made an exit
Maybe a season too soon

I’d want to hear thunder and rain
Hailstones against tin
And window pane once again

Maybe after that I’d be ready
Finished with love and hate
Done with doing anything

Ready maybe, but I think I’d wait
For summer heat, salty sweat
Just a few short weeks

Instead you took a turn
And made an exit
Maybe a season too soon

Blazing sun, summer fun
Pretty women and bathing suits
Hummingbirds and jet skis

Maybe after that I’d be ready
Finished with love and hate
Done with doing anything

Ready maybe, but it would be nice
To know fall again
Crisp nights and clear moons

Instead you took a turn
And made an exit
Maybe a season too soon

Frost on pumpkins
Brilliant colors in trees
Dazzling sunsets after bright skies

Maybe after that I’d be ready
Finished with love and hate
Done with doing anything

But maybe just one more Christmas
And gifts under the tree
At PaPa D’s

Instead you took a turn
And made an exit
Maybe a season too soon

Happiness and singing
Lingering remembering
Of all the seasons before

Maybe after that I’d be ready
Finished with love and hate
Done with doing anything

Ready maybe, but just one more snow
Quiet and warm in a way
Transforming the world

Instead you took a turn
And made an exit
Maybe a season too soon

Deep in the blankets
Away from the cold
Warm in sleep and dreaming

Maybe after that I’d be ready
Finished with love and hate
Done with doing anything

But…

Kev, I’d have waited the few weeks til spring
So I could see daffodils jump
From the ground one more time
***

Pecan pie

A confection of seduction

Born in innocence

Lovingly made

By sweet grandmothers

Of plain and harmless constituents

Without dangerous or illegal sources

But, oh, the longing

The desire for the pleasure

That awaits

It gains voice

And calls

“I am sweet

And pleasant

No harm, no wrong

Indulge

Its OK

Even better

Its right”

“Would you like a pie, young man?”

I swoon

Sure it”s a good cause

The seller a sweet little lady

But I buy because I must

And I disguise my need

My desire

For pecan pie,

A confection of seduction

By Andy Derryberry
***

Tangled Up

We don’t agree on much of anything.
I despise the tv shows she watches.
It’s a rare movie that we both like,
don’t even start with politics,
forget about religion,
fashion, friends, cars, colors,
hobbies, chores, work, credit cards,
any favorite thing, how to drive across town,
brands of soup, breakfast food,
when to eat, when to sleep, what to do,
none of this we agree on,
but
at night we sleep all tangled up