Thickets

twisted

branches

blades of grass

Florida palms

fan in the wind 

thick as thieves

and feathers

Gold or green blades

sun scorched

or left untouched

to be loved 

Either way

they have seen beauty

they are not want

for more
 

© Candice Reineke 2024

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Fall softly and have your way

A grey blanket in the night or day

Make coastlines and skyscrapers a secret 

Whispered only when you say

© Candice Reineke 2022

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close your

eyes see

the shapes

take you 

to another

place

triangles

on fire

blotches

neon pink

and embers

with desire

windows 

outlines

A-frames

slashes 

meant to

memorialize

stories

of the 

past 

fill

the 

present

the

hottest

blues 

scrape

the

edges

ladders

to 

a

world 

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NPR’s A Way with Words

on the radio

is a comfort to my soul

Steaming coffee

cold foam

pumpkin spice warms my bones

Treasure hunt to

a parking spot

reveals the ocean lapping up

Down the white

wooden ramp

slots sneak a peak at nature’s stamp

My toes stretch and touch 

white sand

breeze and sun blanket my skin

Salty foam chase...

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the colossal wing

flashes politely

just outside my window

sunlight melts

the goosebumps

from my arm

carts rattle down the aisle 

with the scent of

fresh coffee beans

the young man next to me

lets his lengthy

fingertips fly freely

tap dancing 

his open letter

to the world

the tiny circle fan

above my head 

tickles the ...

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Humble humidity 

fills the air

as a song drifts in

from

your

neighbor’s

garden

Crickets

create

a cadence

for the breeze

to flirt with

Spanish moss 

and oak leaves 

A tiny spider 

tickles

your skin

as your lover 

across the lawn

shoots you

a wink

A crossbow

rests

in her hand

and you

hear familiar

thund...

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Where Mini Crab

scurries over shells

between my steps

Where Forest

dangles her damp vines

down to my breath

Where Marsh

pulls his salt 

up to my nose

Where Egret 

flaps her wings

past me over reed rows

Where Dragon Fly

buzzes by

my ear to my knees  

Where Flying Fish

jumps up to tease me

belly flopping onto the creek

...

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Rest has been begging all afternoon

Soon soon soon, love.

Finally home in my top-floor abode

The end of consciousness is near

I slip into coziness and turn up the stillness

Oh love, I'm finally here...

But no.

Silence chokes 

Tranquility cracks

Obnoxious noise intrudes

I feel teenybopper bass notes incessantly Bulging up from the floor be...

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Black white black white

alternating stripes

difffuse the sun

Through the umbrella pongee

I see oak-tree leaves

and a scurrying ladybug 

A morning bird monologues so loud 

he's scared or proud

like Noah announcing the flood

A spider meticulously crafts

her silky sleek webs, shimmering traps

stretched out by the breeze for blood

Lizards do pu...

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You'd think they'd know

Where not to go

You'd think they'd see 

The fallen bodies of their friends and foes

Crushed skeletons

The scattered dead

Who do they think they are?

Sneaking up, risking lives to get ahead

Always hauling bits

Bigger than their bodies

The Power Team plus

Masters of pilates

Don't they know

There's nothing to see?

T...

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Swiftly she comes

Smoothly she ascends

Bright yellow petals flap in the wind

White brick soft shadows

Afternoon sun

Reflects tabletops, the glassy ones

Sleek wooden benches

Independent all day

Save when she sits to contemplate

Massive light fixtures

Flirty and fun

Urban Outfitters retro undone

Sculpture Park sweats next to

Cosmico sip...

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A bronze, winged man holding an olive branch

emerges from his fountain and war-torn stance

Deco fence reflects St. Johns River ripples

Cotton tops reveal taut nipples

Weary jogger sucks the air

Bluejay announces his high-n-mighty affair

Golden Pup sniffs the grass for savory gems 

His human on her phone fights for amends 

River sparkles do a dance m...

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There's silver and air beneath my feet

Seagulls cry out as sailfish swim

Coarse white hair covers the man’s jaw

He pulls bait from his hat’s rim

The small girl holds a smaller pole

Her voice as happy as a bird

Her fiery-orange hat

Shades her rainbow tie-dye shirt

Shells spread on white sand and twigs

Hungover from the night before 

The ug...

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Your mind is yours

Don’t let them have it

It's your place to 

explore 

dive

swim

soar

Your mind is your

view

from

the

hill

Full

orchestra 

to

your

ears

Your mind is

flames

in the

Arctic

snow

Soft

breeze

moving

the 

milkweed

Your mind is yours

Don’t let them have it

© ...

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Your breath white like steam gently 

hangs in sway

Cloaked in novelty, it's now a

winter game 

A puff from your chest out

of your mouth

A picture you paint when cold

air allows

Squirrels pitter-patter, a chase

in the trees

A distant garbage truck booms,

bangs and squeaks

Sun crawls higher reflecting

off your brow

The...

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Mini lily pads make way for his playful swim 

He looks both ways then dips under again

Tan and green reeds sway 

The way fans watch a foul-shot play

Tiny bubbles hint at his webbed-feet wake

Pulling fast through the placid lake

His guard hairs soaked but sealed and sleek  

Keeping him warm even in winter’s peak

He surfaces again with a swish

Thri...

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“Repeat the sounding joy” times three

Command or suggestion?

Crushed red and white bits top whipped cream

Cocoa warms my hand

If only one could “Repeat the sounding joy”

On demand

The melody offers sound reason 

As they say, “Tis the season!”

But all I can do is. Sit. Sip.

And hope it comes more naturally

© Candice Reineke 2021

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Majestic vapors race across miles high

Celestial scents turn curious noses to the sky

Indigos and greys overtake shades of white

Subtle rumbles reach drums as whispers hide

Stars on blue whip and whirl into stripes 

Patio umbrellas bend and brace for flight 

An ominous scene is brewing for us tonight

Yet it calms our souls as if to say, “All is right.”

© Cand...

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Here we are – earlobes and funny bones. Canvas chucks crunch against butterscotch and crimson tones. Ravine weaves beneath a cedar-scented boardwalk. Breeze moves leaves like feathers. Sweetgum surrenders one tumbling down from jittery branches to toes. Tufted titmouse tells us the forest is hers. Lilypad sheen invites us to breathe. To dream. To be.

Here we are – earlobes and funny bones.

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When you stay up past a Fall midnight  

When you try to be a hero for your hot spouse 

When the library stays open ‘til your last pages

When your breath puffs up a show in the air

When your curiosity presses the fogged window

When you race to stop the dripping cone

© Candice Reineke 2021

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Incessant tap tap tap

of dissatisfaction 

Monotony of breathing

the stale air of routine

Masked cringe behind a grin

while pretending

Bright glimmer of knowing

soon you'll be free 

© Candice Reineke 2021

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Highlands and Speyside 

whisper my name

Single malt barleys

they’re not all the same

Some speak smooth vanilla

rich fruits, caramel and cream

Others boast a dry bite

smoky and bitter with peat

Delicately matured

in oak casks of all kinds

Diverse finishes of bourbon 

sherry, ports and rare finds

The greater the age

the steepe...

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a sour sigh held in

by the wisdom of silence

offers a yet-to-come glimpse

of rage reverberating against

the wheel you manically steer

down the retched road of hubris

© Candice Reineke 2021

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Thursday morning dew

damp on his shoes

Cotton socks graze past grass tips

Leather holster holds to his hips

Squinting eyes tell passersby

he might’ve been up all night

Clumps of keys cling clang

against his hand and chain

Sacred badge on uniform sleeves

Shorts hit just above his knees

A subtle limp hints he might be spent

but nary a sign ...

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silver

slivers

of

effervescent 

shapes

slide

in

and

out

onto

metal

matter 

making

reflective

declarations 

some 

seen 

and

unseen

bursts 

of 

brilliance

dance

between 

branches

onto

babbling 

brooks

making

rocks’

starry

nooks

flash

for

your

cool

blue

iris

warm

glow

of...

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gravity

takes 

you

back

to 

the

place

that

made

you

fly

the

first

time

you 

took

a

risk

to

be

any

thing

other

than

what

they

wanted

you

to

be

© Candice Reineke 2021

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Edgar Allen Poe

The Raven, of course, rolls his eyes impatiently

You feel goosebumps crawling up your sleeves 

A haunting so familiar you grin

W. B. Yeats

Jon boat tosses t’n’fro the salty zeal of sea

His words slap aboard you drink’m in w’ease

A thirst for fresh stories unquenchable 

Virginia Woolf

Woman blazes past her time and kitchen sink 

You crave...

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William Shakespeare 

Cold theater braces for a cliche thespian 

Yet his every word is soft cotton on your skin 

A bouquet of passion, puckishness and verse

Sylvia Plath

Bell jar sticky with fingerprints and sand

A whipping wind tips over your afternoon plans 

Her manic notes on napkins now prolific works

Maya Angelou

Thunderous megaphone silences the crowd

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Emily Dickinson 

Dried roses and loneliness 

Damp musk, juniper gin

A sweet secret kept well

E. E. Cummings

Modern buildings made of his words 

Falling oak leaf, smoker’s cough

A feeling of getting away with murder

Henry David Thoreau 

Wading boot lifting from the muck

Abandoned shed, rotten wood chopped

A longing for sapiosexual chemistry 

A...

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Blank look

Dead eyes

Not impressed nor surprised

Flamboyant flare reveals a double rainbow

Spotted gazelle prances on a dewy field 

Zero fucks is what they give it, still

Dear Poet

Not everybody likes poetry

It’s a matter of their wiring

You’re okay

This truth is best to have been found 

Earth still spins us round and round 

© Candi...

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Wooden pillars squeak in the afternoon wind

Waters slap against the shore

Not angrily but without end

Bleached bright pier reflects the sun

Man holds his pole on a “No Fishing” sign

Like a catch would have been fun

The sky so tantalizing blue

It fools you into thinking

The water is too

The sun also plays games with your mind

Shimmering off the murk...

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Feel my cool breath

on your skin

I saw you were dewy

and needed it

Did you catch my little rustle of the leaves? 

Stroll under those

old oaks and notice  

I make sounds

just like the ocean

Shhhhhhhhhh, can you hear my artistry?

My gentle breeze flirts

with your curls

Yet I destroy whole cities

with my whirls

Can’t you see how soft and strooo...

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small curls so soft

fall in your eyes

sleepiest gaze

wide by surprise

tiny fingers

stretch out to me

short pudgy legs

kick aimlessly

the world is yours

grin-slobber line

should your heart break 

I’ll give you mine 

© Candice Reineke 2021

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earsplitting pops and crackles reverberate off the river into our home

our cats dash under beds taking shelter amid the war zone 

I calmly explain it’s just the 2021 New Year’s fireworks fun

soon the explosive noises and jubilant celebrations will all be done

just as my words become truth your snore breaks into the night and shakes the earth beneath my sleep-deprived bum

our cats ...

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my wife’s wisest gift

Swedish sweater socks wrap warm

wool around my feet

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Play It Cool

ice cubes tumble

down the shoot

into glasses with a cling 

couples banter

servers scramble

you gently stir your drink

“Seat taken?”

a soft voice asks

your glass drips with condensation

she gestures to the bartender

one move pulls out the stool

for conversation 

“Uh, yes...I mean no!”

your head shakes 

your straw now...

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And so I thought 

once I felt seen

got praised, got a raise 

it would go away

once I de-stressed

got time off from my job

it would drift away

once I reached my goal

got rated “exceptional”

it would surely leave

once I felt proud

of all that I’ve achieved

it would bring reprieve 

And so I thought

© Candice Reineke 2020

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eager crickets sing in chorus

at the top of their lungs 

gusts rustle leaflets

in the string section of dwarf palms

nervous gnat raises his falsetto 

as high as he can

dragonfly’s baritone buzz

upstages her wingspan 

pileated woodpecker plays his pine 

keeping on the beat

tufted titmouse takes her tenor solo

melodic and neat

wi...

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God grabs a handful of reeds

to relieve an itch in his nose

lifts the emerald bundle to

inside his nostrils lined with gold 

scratches them up and down

‘til his ticklish urges subside

pulls the straws out half-dipped

like fence paint dripped and dried

their marshy roots dangle

in fish-scented air

God pushes’m back to the muck

swamp sti...

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chipped mint letters

flicker at Florida’s first coast

pearly tin sign

atop a tall weathered post

two “P” words compose

a minimalist statement 

crystals swirl across girls’

distant giggles on pavement 

fiery rust streaks 

from the top-center screw

faded cat sticker

smirks like a sleuth 

slots always taken 

in the mayhem of Ma...

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let your index finger 

gently lift towards her

in one smooth motion

keep your eyes

fixed on hers

let your jitters simmer

open your hand

thumb pointing at your chin

fingers pointing up

roll your fingers across

the front of your face 

in clockwise fashion

like a carousel 

lightly turning

shadows to glimmers

end with your fing...

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I’m 52 mg/dL and falling

I need you just as you are

Crisp like the night’s breath

Desperate to end this faint feeling 

I open the door

See the blush of your skin

Under the bright bulb 

I reach for you

Cold to the touch, round in my hand

I rush to the sink

Rinse you clean 

Dry your moist flesh and stem

I can’t wait any longer 

Crazed c...

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cling-clangs against my brain

feign solutions but they’re all the same 

feasts for frantic fissions 

unbridled, undeniably out of 

control

the drug I’ve always craved

but can’t do a thing other than

think

did I say it wrong?

did they hear me right?

I’m sure of it 

So unsure of it

I may be wrong

maybe all is well

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Some drive in silence with their mind 

free as the thought patterns they find

Others drive with the crevasses of their soul bare 

to the “lucky” listener sitting there

Some drive with laser-focus, turning on a dime

constantly checking their arrival time

Others drive with beats blasting, casting glances 

hoping partners will join in their dances

Some driv...

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Your screen goes black
The orgy of your show
Now done

The euphoria of empathy
Feeling your beloved characters 
All gone!

Foreshadowing that kept you on the edge
Clever plot that kept you clicking “Next”  
C’est fini!!

You regret your urge to binge
You mourn your loss
You self-soothe 

Then you wait 
And wait
For season two

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Before the beans grind

There is no joy

There is no life

It takes nine steps to walk the distance of five

Blinks forget to un-blink

Yawns overtake the soul

Your dreams abandoned you on Mars

But you haven’t noticed the red glow

There is no joy

There is no life

Before the beans grind

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Softly breathing warm in bed

The squeaking sound of a massive truck

Gently pulling you from your dreams

Its crane arm lifting bins at your neighbors

Two homes away

GASP.

IT’S TRASH DAY!

GET UP. RISE UP.

SHAKE THE SLOTH OF YOUR SLUMBER.

YOU STILL HAVE TIME!

No bra, no shoes, pandas on your pajamas

Surely the garbageman won’t mind

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I will

play my harmonica haphazardly.

make a joke with no one to laugh but me.

improv a jazz song to my cat Curry.

take a photo of what’s right in front of me.

I am not a product.
 

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You are not lost yet

You can still retrace more steps

Botched blazes be damned

© Candice Reineke 2019

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You wake me early, with a kiss-scapade and your eyes bright like the morning light that snuck through onto my pillowcase.

You open my car door with a knowing grin, and I make ridiculous guesses, but you refuse to reveal your plans.

First, across the bridges of Jacksonville, to historic Avondale, where old-Florida gardens and old-money mansions show us their frills.

My first time at the Fo...

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