Lew Watts

Dry Lightning

where she was held
only red brick walls
and the calls of kites

Your face was always round
and mottled beige after a shock
as though the blood had rushed back
in to help you to remember
 
my name. You would have loved
this house. Outside, the fawn
stuccoed walls seem to flow
and though the madcap wind can blow
 
so hard we have to strap and chain
the chairs to the ground, by dawn
it’s always calm. Inside, each door-
way, plastered banco, ledge
 
and window-sill has been shaped
by the palm of a hand and there
are pillows, pads, and bolsters
everywhere. You’d have felt safe
 
here, safe from any sharpened edge
that could have cut and harmed
your skin. And you know what, Mam,
each outlet carries half the voltage.

fingers touching
through the hospital fence
scent of wild clover

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About the Author

Lew Watts is haibun co-editor of Frogpond and author of two Snapshot Press books, Tick-Tock (2019) and Eira (2023), the latter of which won a 2024 Touchstone Award and Best Book of Haibun in the HSA Merit Book Awards. He is also the co-author, with Roberta Beary and Rich Youmans, of Haibun: A Writer’s Guide (Ad Hoc Fiction, 2023).

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