From the Pandemic Journal (Bancroft)

1.

A cardinal flares in the crab apple tree

an orphaned duck paces the block

hawks circle

pandas mate

lions lie down in the street

 2.

The dead friend appears

not knowing he’s dead

offers his beloved a honey bee

his full hair

his flushed skin

break my heart again

 3.

Dad wanders Walmart

gloved and masked

picks out a Father’s Day card

on my mother’s behalf

while I wait

wonder

if this is how

the world will end

Kelly Bancroft writes poems, plays and essays in Youngstown, Ohio, where she teaches for the Martin P. Joyce Juvenile Justice Center and Hiram College. Her first book, Two Dreams of the Afterlife, will be published this year by BlazeVox.