DAVID STILLWAGON - POEMS

​OUR LITTLE NEIGHBORHOOD

​Tattered ‘for rent’ signs
Line the road
Like grave markers.
A ‘children at play’ sign
Spray painted over and
Pushed to one side
Is ignored.
Weeds and high grass
Creep from yard to yard,
As street lights flicker on and off.
A lone dog barks
For no particular reason.
A lost car passes through
A stop sign,
On its way to another
Destination.

​DOG IN MY LAP

​Dog in my lap
Cat on my shoulder
Things to do will
Wait no longer
 
Dog in my lap
Cat on my shoulder
Books to be read
Books to be written
 
Dog in my lap
Cat on my shoulder
Dinner to be cooked will
Wait no longer
 
Dog in my lap
Cat on my shoulder
Time to sleep
Animals should wander

​UNRELENTING FIRE

​Spreading fire through the neighborhood
an unrelenting disaster
Musters a rapid reply
In every person and soul
As flames connect with
Wood and stone
Charred to bits
Heat can be felt
Flustered by burning
Houses and homes
People retreat beyond
The reach of the spreading fire

CREATION

​Smoke circles the earth
As clouds gather low
A single tree explodes
Into wooden toy blocks
The road curls out like a tongue
Ready to whistle
The magic doesn’t end
But starts
Where the mountain introduces the sea
Ships fly at night
Sleep during the day
People gather around
And marvel at nature
And wash their hands
In the night-less sea