Robert Fleming

Sister Senryu

 

medical non-user

baby buddha dilation

hospital entry

 

the great grandfather

he cannot be baby buddha

grand pop pop’s snoring

 

buddha stays buddha

buddha returns no flowers

Hokkekyo-ji

 

 

plate and petunia tears

 

no-one cares that paper dishes leave marinara stains

linguine with white clam sauce leaves Italian chardonnay

pre-washing dishes deposit drops on my knuckles

stuck food particles un-stick

even brilo-pad scrubbing leaves hand brown spots

know-it-all dishwasher detergents claim

pre-washing wastes twenty-gallons of water

 

you used to do the dishes and I did the laundry

as the dishwasher washes

winter consumes cream camelias

spring promises white tulips

summer buttercups dry into book marks

fall red roses decompose in the compost heap

still the dishwater steam rinses our last kiss