Lilt of the Skylark

by Patricia Machmiller, Agnes Eva Savich, Lenard D. Moore, Charles Trumbull, Michael Dylan Welch, Fay Aoyagi, Garry Gay, David G. Lanoue, Bill Deegan, Johnnie Johnson Hafernik, Doris Lynch, David Oates, Joshua Gage, Paula Hamby, and Jeff Hoagland

        1.    jump, flea!

               my neighbor will be glad

               to host you Patricia

        2.    dad in shorts

               grills chicken wings Agnes

        3.    memories

               of the scent of ironing

               from upstairs Lenard

        4.    view of the pine forest

               and the mountains beyond Charlie

        5.    I wish I could see

               the footprints

               on the moon Michael

        6.    the scarecrow skips

               down the yellow brick road Fay

        7.    a chilly wind

               through the missing pane

               of the greenhouse Garry

        8.    the school principal

               ♥s the tennis coach David L.

        9.    the pulled tooth

               feels better than

               his lover’s text Bill

      10.    my to-do list

               on a paper bag Michael

      11.    his fabulous gown

               made from the curtains

               of his last big role Agnes

      12.    I left my oxygen tank

               on Mt. Everest David L.

      13.    a contrail

               bisects

               the winter moon Charlie

      14.    ice glazes the bottom

               of the wheelbarrow Garry

      15.    Icarus

               still falling

               to the sea David L.

      16.    another journalist

               killed in Russia Charlie

      17.    Easter lilies

               cut in their prime

               for a wreath Agnes

      18.    shell collection

               left at the seashore Garry            

      19.    spring haze

               in and out

               of my mind Michael

      20.    the smudge

               on the pope’s eyeglasses Bill

      21.    into the night

               lepidopterists converse

               in subspecies Johnnie

      22.    while we drink wine

               the planets align Doris

      23.    in the Deep South

               the only parking issue is

               where’s the shade David O.

      24.    putting the top down

               at the drive-in Joshua

      25.    how long

               do I wait

               for Pandora Paula

      26.    shimmying close

               under the disco ball Lenard

      27.    she says yes

               to his proposal

               on the Jumbotron Garry

      28.    the elephant

               bathes himself in the pond Charlie

      29.    in the moonlight

               a mailbox

               with the red flag up Doris

      30.    sulphur shelf mushroom

               on the cutting board Jeff             

      31.    lightning again

               silhouetting

               the castle keep Michael

      32.    she tries

               the king’s knight’s gambit Charlie

      33.    kitchen tiles

               freshly mopped

               and minty Agnes

      34.    strands of hair

               trace her neck Joshua

      35.    the gospel choir

               inhales

               amid the blossoms Michael

      36.    lilt of the skylark

               without an accent Jeff