A red checkered
handkerchief
one of many cut from
a single Italian restaurant
table linen
soaks slanted rain water
that pressed into the house
under the window.
The absorbed water
wicks only halfway
across the cloth
causing the red to deepen
and the white to turn to dull gray.
The wood there
is a bit warped
and paint cracked
and bubbled
from previous storms
that sped
across the valley
to tremble
our home’s bones.
copyright © 2022 Kenneth P. Gurney
Umflop 