TRACY KORETSKY


after the storm...

at my feet
a nest


--bird calls in the breeze


a nest
at my feet
after the storm
somewhere,
an alarm


after the storm...
the quiet of your breath
beside my ear --
all the things that could have been
all the things that aren’t


at my feet
my old dog warms
at my old dog’s feet:
a nest


and the kids play hopscotch in the driveway
play the hokey-pokey
jump-rope, pick-up-sticks


can i trust what she will tell me?


a nest
at my feet
after the storm
the steaming cup
lifted to lips




It’s About


The time you stopped traffic to say
that you love me.  The time the aged
are behind, the genius, ahead of.
The time that leaves its signature on
music: ragtime dripped through
clarinets in Preservation Hall; waltz
time encircling peach-faced
debutantes. Teatime in spring time.
The timepiece imported cheaply
from Japan in peacetime that never
gives the exact time only necessary
when robbing a bank. Dinner time.
Prime time. Bedtime. One more
time. Curtain time, opening night!
The time the runner seeks to surpass.
Time and motion studies on
timeshared computers; the timeclock
punched to put food on the table time
and time and time again, and
the part-timer flirting by the coffee.
The time step tapped on salted dance
floors. The timeless character
of the single pearl worn for old times
sake, that time in my life when I had
you to pass the time of day. The time
that chemotherapy buys. The time
the prisoner serves: the time on
the faces of clocks melting over
Salvador Dali’s trees. The oblong
time of an expectant mother. The time
it took to evolve from the prideless dust
of the earth; the time it takes to return.