All copyright remains with the author. No use of any kind is permitted without express written permission from Melanie Heard. And now when the rain falls, I don’t close my eyes. But revel in madness Of, oh, such a guise. The curtains are drawn, But the window’s askew. So the torrents and breezes, Still come swishing through. And the rain falls like sequins. Or beads on my dress. The critic can’t see. That the seams are a mess. And now, when the rain falls, I squint at the sky. The rain hides...

All copyright remains with the author. No use of any kind is permitted without express written permission from Melanie Heard. Walking over bodies… With a lawnmower Making noise. Like a hornet on a stick Or a piercing great bird. The bodies don’t notice… Don’t sit up and say Hey! Stop it! Ever heard of rest in peace? I’m sleepin’ here! No.   Walking over bodies… The men make crazy patterns Like circles in the sand. They move their army boot feet Across Respect. Over Admiration. Stepping...

All copyright remains with the author. No use of any kind is permitted without express written permission from Melanie Heard. My mom picked out this mushroom Christmas ornament when she was four years old from the counter at Woolworths drug store. That would have been 1952. Throughout my childhood, I loved watching her find it amongst the other ornaments, unwrap it carefully from all of the pieces of tissue paper, and gently hang it on the tree. It had to be hung near the top and wired on...