ELM STREET NEIGHBOR
By Dianne Moritz

From curtainless
Kitchen windows,
Light pools on
A mid-night lawn.

The old woman sits
In shabby housecoat,
Hunched over
Her formica table,

Limp hair hiding
Her shaggy profile,
Shuffling worn cards
For games of solitaire.

Walking my dog
Down shadowed streets,
I watch this pantomine:
Slap of cards,

Thin wrist reaching
For a glass rattling
With amber ice.
Sadness drenches me
Like warm rain.

BEACH HOUSE

That house is lonely now.
First my dog, next your old cat.
No one expected a cancer,
so quick and greedy.

How I miss your laugh,
Blaze of blue eyes as you
Spoke of love and work,
Offering sage advice.
I miss these sounds: ice
Tossed in a glass, jazz
Humming, the unlikeliness
Of us together there.

How the mind tricks!
Moments and memories
So clear, while that house
Stands bereft and cold.
Empty as air.

About the Author:

Dianne Moritz published poems in Poets On, Live Poets Society, Poetry Motel, Earth's Daughters, Long Island Quarterly and others.  Essays have appeared in the NY Times, LA Times, Romantic Homes and many others. She co-authored 2 picture books with Kane Miller and is a frequent contributor to Highlights three magazines for kids.