Photography by Jennifer Matthews
Moms Not Home
The floors are not swept
And the dishes are unwashed
The smell of warm soap and fabric softener from the washer
And clothes in dryer smell of lilacs
The sound of laughter from the den and the television room
YouTube plays songs of The Weekend or Chris Brown
Short packages from Amazon arrive with necessity,
I admired your earnest for vacuuming
The smell of Jimmy Deans hot sausage in the skillet,
And the Wright’s Bacon in the oven
Are you talking to your brothers or sister again on the phone?
And the birds are pooping on the porch again(you hated this)
And I can’t the smell of ammonia in the bathroom
Your natural silliness plays in the head and the heart
This is what kills
Damion Hamilton is from St. Louis MO. His poems have appeared in Chiron Review, Poesy Magazine, Zygote In My Coffee, Red Fez, The Camel Saloon and many others. He writes poetry, stories and novels. He has written several books.
Poet/Photographer Jennifer Matthews’ poetry has been published in Nepal by Pen Himalaya and locally by the Wilderness Retreat Writers Organization, Midway Journal, The Somerville Times, Ibbetson Street Press and Boston Girl Guide. Jennifer was nominated for a poetry award by the Cambridge Arts Council for her book of poetry Fairy Tales and Misdemeanors. Her songs have been released nationally and internationally and her photography has been used as covers for a number of Ibbetson Street Press poetry books and has been exhibited at The Middle East Restaurant, 1369 Coffeehouses, Sound Bites Restaurant in Somerville and McLean Hospital.