Her Karma is all in her head.
Wherever she goes it follows:
dog on the leash of her tongue.
Karma walks her to the corner in town
with a red dress on.
Karma sets her up in an apartment.
Karma is the rent, always due.
She comes back every night,
cooks Karma dinner–
that demanding tyrant, refusing to clean up.
Karma follows her to the mirror.
She can’t distinguish between them,
their wrinkles identical
and when she dies
Karma will hold her
like a promise.


from ‘House of the Unexpected’ (Wild Ocean Press)