Jacqueline Jules, three poems

Counting Value

A Tibetan monk spends weeks

carefully pouring colored sand,

intricate geometric designs

he will dismantle and sweep

with solemn ceremony.

A chef chops and sautés,

drizzles the plate with tasty flare

to hand off for quick consumption.

While I stand

beneath a tree in April

enchanted by the flutter

of pink petals drifting

gracefully to the ground.

No one belittles beauty

for being brief.

Yet when you emerged

from my body,

bloody and squalling,

I believed success

would be measured

in days outlasting mine.

As if the value

of your life

could only be

counted in years.

Kix Not Cheerios

She stamps tiny feet on the tile,

shakes balled fists and blonde curls.

Kix! Her bottom lip quivers between cries.

Not Cheerios or cornflakes or Chex.

Kix! Kix! Kix! Kix!

She absolutely must have

what is not available to pour

into the round blue bowl

life offers this morning.

At three years old,

my granddaughter confronts

how little she controls

what lies behind the cabinet door

with a rage I secretly share.

In time, she will learn

to stop pounding

the brass handle, accept

what is left on the shelf.

But our hunger

for more choices

will always remain.

The Best Man

At a ball game two summers ago,

they spotted a double rainbow,

arching over the stadium

and a double base hit

breaking the tie for their team

in the ninth inning.

That’s why, he says,

he’s sure my dead son

still attended his wedding,

still stood nearby as best man,

holding a double ring

of transcendent color

over the city skyline

and every posed picture

of bride and groom.

Jacqueline Jules is the author of three chapbooks, Field Trip to the Museum (Finishing Line Press), Stronger Than Cleopatra (ELJ Publications), and Itzhak Perlman's Broken String, winner of the 2016 Helen Kay Chapbook Prize from Evening Street Press. Her poetry has appeared in over 100 publications including The Broadkill Review, The Broome Review, Sow's Ear Poetry Review, Beltway Poetry News, Hospital Drive, and Imitation Fruit. She is also the author of 40 books for young readers. Visit www.jacquelinejules.com.