CINQUAINS
by

Jeanne Cassler

Catch us
when we chase you,
boys, your arms around us
will tell you a secret that has
no words.

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First Visit to the Ocean

She's lost
inside her laugh
before the rising tide
that reaches out to tickle her
bare toes.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Shade Tree

The oak
in my backyard
holds twisted rope and wood
and knows the name of every child
that swings.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Slow Squeeze

I watch
from my window;
a tearful, little toad
becomes a garter snake's lunch, wart
by wart.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jumping
into the pond.
I kick my fear away,
my arms pull down, my head pops up,
I breathe.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I wake
pressed against you,
your fingers come alive
and strip me of my sleepiness,
aroused.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Teach Me

To laugh,
to find a step
on the ladder of joy
that will bounce and shake but still hold
my weight.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Little Nothings:

Nothing;
motionless void;
lies like clay in God's hands,
warms to His touch, waits to become
Something.

Nothing;
an emptiness
felt for too many years
fills her heart with a simple need:
Something.

Nothing:
my bank account,
the pockets of my jeans.
"Someday," she says, "you'll be good for
Something."

Nothing
looks like a cat
perched on the window sill
so condescendingly thinking
Something.

Nothing
extracts secrets
like a kindred spirit.
Listen, I'm longing to tell you
Something.

Nothing
ever works right
after I've paid for it.
I'm always having to repair
Something.

Nothing
ever works right
after I've brought it home.
I'm always having to return
Something.

Nothing
for, (it's backward,
just turn the words around).
Remember, you just cannot get
Something.

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Thank you for reading these!

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