Grill

Another slab of meat
steams on a dead
tree’s bones, a late
fall grill-out, one last
harvest and sacrifice
to the sun’s slow
demise, flames and
ice in a battle
over my frail roof,
my sharp knife
poised to slice
my pound of flesh
from life’s long tease
before winter’s breath
sucks me dry.

RICHARD DINGES, JR.

Richard Dinges, Jr. works on his homestead beside a pond, surrounded by trees and grassland, with his wife, two dogs, two cats, and five chickens. Toasted Cheese, Westview, Old Red Kimono, Poem, and Green Hills Literary Lantern have recently accepted his poems for their publications.