LA CRESENTA AVENUE by Jean Northwood

The August
leaves
outside
the picture window
flutter in rhythm
with the pianist's
arpeggios--
I lie on the couch
half-empty beer
in my hand
eyes at half-mast
the baby asleep
in a room down the hall
classical music
on the CD player
a wind whispers
down the mountain
one day death
will find me
but right now
this afternoon
sifts itself
through an hourglass
of peace.


Jean Northwood lives and writes in Albany, New York. She longs to someday see the West Coast.