Two Poems by Sheila Murphy

by Sheila Murphy

Precipice

Am I afraid to cancel

yes let's just say dis-

inclined a euphemism

for scared merde-less

of you and your hee-haw

expectations that we jointly

thrive on the same plane-

t oh how not unseizable am I

up against your default reflex

reflux far apart (think often always)

toggling between rage and whining

about how no one understands

you and your fox tailed enmity

your manipulative sotto prowess

your rage refusing to turn

the page perform new news

Displaced

I have transitioned from oak and ice

To saguaros with kiss flowers at their tops

It keeps being June again I walk in flare temperatures

recalling lush green bows above midwestern driveway

Mock orange bushes cushioning familiar yard

The identical moon shines down upon me here

Christening me for listening to heat a form of privacy like snow

Rain dreams down within our hidden psyches