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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