Glenn G. Coats

Handprints

Before there were gutters
on the house,
rain water ran
like a river
down
in the basement
where
cans of corn and
jars of tomatoes
floated
on wooden pallets.

Long before fresh paint
covered
scratched doors
and stained
wallpaper,
there were words
hidden behind
closet doors,
names with stars
floating
around them,
names written inside
hearts;
an arrow pointed
to a baby’s name
with “love for life”
beneath it.
The words bled
through many coats
of latex—
as if they longed
to be
remembered.

darkening leaves
phone numbers buried deep
in a wallet

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About the Author

Glenn G. Coats lives with his wife, Joani, in Carolina Shores, North Carolina. His books include two Snapshot Press collections of haibun, A Synonym for Gone (2021) and Degrees of Acquaintance (2019); Furrows of Snow (Turtle Light Press, 2019), an honorable mention winner in the Haiku Society of America’s 2020 Merit Book Awards; and Another Lost Boat (Pineola Publishing, 2022).

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