after Lorca
Since rain clouds became my mother
This is the way it is
Since blowing a candle never granted a wish
This is the way it is
Since each body is a troubled geography
This is the way it is
Since one grief sings louder than cricket or bird
This is the way it is

MIKE JAMES makes his home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He has published in hundreds of magazines, large and small, and has performed his poetry at universities and other venues throughout the country. His newest collection, Back Alley Saints at the Tiki Bar, was published in April.