Adrianne Quinlan

When love suddenly dies
Without reason or call,
Signs of silence break ties
Breaths no longer rise,
...

As the star that fell
Across the night,
Endowments
Fragile as sparkle light,
...

A dry darkness like that of a new moon
Is spreading within us.
We climb the daily up-hill path,
Stick figures in line,
...

As thin and ragged
As the staked man in the field,
He appeared at my car window.
...

The she lion may not cuff
a troublesome juvenile hyena
found harassing her cub.
Even an open mouth snarl
...

Grandfather had always been fond of whippings.
It's his one release,
And mother still bears the scars.
...

A bit of sun-shine,
I plea,
To enter a promising day.
...

Vague, ethereal presence,
Hiding gold at your feet.
I cringe each time I see you
Where your colors meet.
...

The sandman had other things in mind
When he laid our beds at dusk.
Birds and bees abide by it.
Swear by it,
...

From a forgotten era,
A sturdy old shovel and rake
Leans against the interior garage wall
Beside the dented trash bin.
...

A seemingly endless field of dandelions
Encircles the grounds of the orphanage.
Diverse young faces peer from small spaces
Between window bars
...

King Andy the XII so wealthy and wise
Came upon his subjects in wanderer's guise.
And with serene look and with somber voice
Spread the word of a brand new choice.
...

In the stillness of the smallest hours,
In gray dark,
Poems come.
...

Extra strength aspirin could not alleviate
My slumped over gait. I approached the sign:
Mattress Sale Today. Ding!
...

I saw them on the streets of Anchorage,
In shop corners and alleyways
Begging for handouts.
...

Lines on the disastrous 87th Street, Cleveland house fire

Judgment day and God is under the spotlight now.
In a great cone-shaped arena
With the accused in the pit
And the people tiered above Him,
...

Blinding snow of thunder snow
Spring freeze and body heat rising
Steady horizontal rain
Flooding in a neighboring city
...

Whenever I stop to do an about me,
nothing ever comes to mind.
It is perhaps because
I don't interact with myself
...

Gurgling, squirming
Little pink frog upside down,
Newly giggling, kicking,
Limbs lengthening, strengthening,
...

Johnny’s belly looks a bit more rotund today.
Mommy and daddy have gone off
to find the red house
with white shutters and picket fence
...