three stabs-three misses
the heron
shakes its head

long afternoon–
the occasional tapping
of a screen door

long restless day
the white eyes of a potato
beneath the cabinet

storm front
grackles sweep
into the wind

all day rain–
the sag
of the toddler's diaper

heat wave
kids in the pet store
teasing a rat

roadside diner
a fly inches across
distant hills

a wolf spider waits
against the woodstove window–
summer heat

sudden storm–
in the makeshift shelter
an anthill

his letter arrives–
the sound of rain
in the cornfield