A Wedding

Callused hands grip tight to a warm udder,

As jets of foaming milk shoot into the pail beneath.

You both walk hand-in-hand buckets swinging,

Neither of you notice as splashing white waves

Crash over the sides. The spill makes the dirt from the path

Rise up into spiraling twisters.

You sit side-by-side on an old rusted tractor.

Small curves in the beds below go unnoticed as

One quick kiss and sidelong glance is stolen.

The cornrows may be crooked, but

The taste of the kernels will remind you

Of how you spent that summer.

Two sharp knives crush sweet basil on a

Wooden cutting board. You two turn the kitchen

Into a perfume so exquisite, it makes us believe that chocolate

can be melted into concoctions of love. The sprinkles of flour that

Cover your faces go unseen. As you devour food filled

With dreams for your future.

You toss soil with dark brown hands. Readying the

Ground for another year. Sweat and laughter

Pour into the rich earth where seeds are laid

With care. Those same hands, now reach

Towards each other as you stand in front of family

Living an endless summer together.  

I love my Brother so much. He has been the one family member I have always gotten along with. I have helped him with all of his relationships. He is kind, sweet and caring. He has a strong sense of what it takes to be an honest, grounded individual. My brother is always looking out for everyone. He also knows how to see the best in everyone. He dances a little crazy, and makes totally delicious food. I never thought I would be happy with the girl he chose to marry. In my mind no girl was good enough for him, that's until I met his girlfriend (soon to be wife). I knew this one was different. He took things slow, I remember sitting in the car with him after they had been hanging out for many weeks but not yet "officially" dating. He asked me what I should do. I told him he had to start dating her before someone else did. I told him to make it "official" so he did. It was actually the first time that I saw them cook together that I knew that they were perfect for each other. I have never seen two people more in love. Cooking turned into a big mess of public display of affection. 

I am so happy that my brother has finally found someone. I am so proud of the way that he lives his life. I am proud to call Jenna my sister, and I wish them a life filled with meals, laughter, babies and smiles. 

Love you!

Perfect Lines

Streams of lines chase away my sour heart,

Willing me to find my way back to the

Perfect patterns within the flowers.

Gardens make disarray seem like a dream.

Blueprint found in the sharp spears of green.

The star’s glints of gold grow steadily stronger

With each whisper of the passing breeze.

Strangers leave their footprints among this sodden soil.

Neighbors dig deep circles to plant their sorrow in.

There’s a balance to our dreams, like seeds

Of dandelion down I’ve propelled away with a breath.

The upset clouds drop tears into the dark beds,

Beds where callused hands rip weeds away, to protect

Their infant’s hesitant slumber.

The questions we’re afraid to ask, that make our

Life seem endless, they are answered in the trees

As our ideas shine bright among

The softness of the peach tree’s buds.

The intricate details of my life disappear as shoots climb higher.

They stand as high-rises to the insects that lie below.

Untamed memories of car horns and shuffling feet,

Find a relief here among the striving branches

Of plants that grow for a single day,

Rather than waste their time on wishes.

They know mortality is upon their leaves,

As the moon leaves their side each dawn.