Waning Crescent

kid pressing face to the door’s window
waving at me frantically
puppy on a leash
barking and lunging at me frantically
peach and blue striped sunset
gravel alleys like country roads
teal house, pink house, tan house, yellow house
trash bucket on its side
heroically not rolling down the driveway
garter snake with white stripe
among the hyacinths
more girls from the high school gone missing
robin’s twilight squawk echoes off linoleum siding
she said things weren’t good at home
air feels so fresh, phone says it’s moderate
what in the world! and other catchphrases
from friends drifting from lamplit houses
grave-digging all the canceled festivals
cluster of new white flowers
in the wooded slope near Gaslight Village
stop to identify: Poet’s narcissus
hand to face as if slapped
in one version he needs to love himself
before he can learn to love others
in the mirrored pool
it’s hard not to write a lyric selfie
even gazing outward
the darkest thoughts show up and sting
ones you should keep like secrets
ones you might test on the night air