top of page

Teresa A. Phipps

Tom Waits

Say Grace

God, may we all

amidst a storm

safe by a fire

bright and warm

send to those

left exposed

Good Will and a

much wider brim

to keep the pelting rain

from hammering them

Best Friend

My dog stayed with me

Even on the streets of Manhattan

See, Fido, it means faithful

in Latin

Coffee

Steam from the coffee

And the stirring of the cup

The spoon going round

Says giddyup

Giddyup

A Dream

Everything is numbered

Everything

There is only a certain amount

of everything

Laughs

Shaves

Skinned knees

Babies

Tears

Steaks

Smokes

Songs

Everything

And maybe at the

top of the sky

you will find the bottom

of a boat

And in it is an

unshaven God

holding a pole

a line

and a float

And dangling from

a golden hook

is a blue jewel

The one you dreamed about

And the blue jewel

is just like your blue eye

blinking beneath your

sleepy eyelids

And then way down the rabbit hole

you slide

and splash into the sea

And the sun comes up

And you are only seven

Then he pulls you into the boat

And that is heaven

bottom of page