fluorescent light
under eggshell ceiling tiles
fallen rain against the window
barely audible
under student discussion
diffuse sunlight
above papier-mâché projects
and stacks of loose folders
around the surface of the wall-length counter
Fallen pine needles
in the planter outside the window
odd angles
raindrop craters in the soil
wrinkled papers and disheveled notebooks on desks
an archipelago of unfinished work
fallen leaves in the hallway
a trail from the carpeted entryway
to the threshold of your room
fun-size candy wrappers and broken pencils
haphazard across the thin carpet
over a concrete floor
Tag: No Verbs
back from vacation
full laundry hamper in the hallway
washer and dryer on the clock
two towels and a picnic blanket
over the shower rod
desert in the fridge
stale water in a brita filter
a dozen half-empty condiments
on the shelf in the door
tired books on the end table
curled corners
frayed bookmarks
bent pages
every window open
a fan on each sill
ceiling fan at top speed
counterclockwise
feet up on the coffee table
skin like madrone bark
a cold glass of water
against your chest
your ashes
your ashes
inside a plastic bag in a cardboard box
on a shelf toward the back of the garage
behind their back-up tent
a long wait
for the death of a man
with no memory of you
a small ceremony
a distribution
of his ashes and yours
among the rocks and roots around colchuck lake
your request
out of the office
out of the office
only three cars in the parking lot
first sunlight of spring
warm on your face
birdsong ahead of you
in the trees beyond the curb
birdsong behind you
under the bleachers by the soccer field
birdsong alongside you
within the sparse bushes of the planter
tears in your eyes
a calm shadow
theater marquee an early ben gibbard haircut black thick-rimmed glasses a scar with a delicate history under layers of concealer and foundation shirt with an obscure band’s logo an unbuttoned flannel red and white a heart with a brisk pace cuffs just below their elbows gnarled dandelion stem between their fingers denim jeans blue as summer sky manufactured rips on their knees authentic wear behind their ankles adidas the nice ones green and gold a bouncy toe within a calm shadow
not a soul on the lake
sunday afternoon late spring a cloudless sky not a soul on the lake dozens of houses with windows for walls uniform lawns not a soul on the lake seven foam swans in the water three coyote statues on private docks two wooden owls and a metal heron in a garden not a soul on the lake fifty kayaks asleep in yards thirty motorboats under canopies two seaplanes with eye masks on not a soul on the lake
from your apartment patio
above you blue sky a lone cirrus cloud behind fir trees a line of water vapor in the wake of a plane a nail from a previous tenant near the top of a post around you seven pots of dirt a hole from a stellar’s jay now on the lip of a pot hungry for seeds below you a crow in the open maw of a garbage can over-stuffed another crow jagged scraps of plastic on the ground by ripped mcdonalds bags another crow a cold french fry in its beak
a test proctor
silence thirty students and laptops along the room's perimeter a pile of backpacks between the door and a bookcase fingers on keyboards like rain on a sidewalk warm, stagnant air of early afternoon five heads on desks between hoods and forearms cold coffee in a thrift-store mug by the keyboard on your desk a pencil eraser on a desk 120 beats per minute a whisper a nod silence
breakfast with a bald eagle
downed spruce trunk under green water a steady current rain drops on their cloud’s reflection on the riverbank a bald eagle beak-deep in a pink salmon carcass under its talon thick fog in the tree line at the foot of the mountain slow as dawn a call from a nearby fir the rhythm of a playing card between bicycle spokes frantic brown wings into the air forsaken salmon flesh on the shore for the seagulls
a bedroom
a body on the floor a pool of blood on the carpet spatter across the frame of a picture someone in a robe with a diploma a chair in the corner under a pile of shirts and jeans spatter across an unkempt bed grey comforter with teal bedsheets a dresser messy with articles and pens necklaces and earrings spatter across a full-length mirror the post-it note affirmations along its edge a body on the floor under a thin white sheet
M. Espinosa 