Dale Hensarling

Terror

terror in innocent daycare eyes
terror in insolent teenage lies
terror in all our daily plans
terror in all Americans
terror in parks where children play
terror by night
terror … Read more

Got Your Goat

The 4-H program, Shasta County Fair
has reaped a world of trouble we just read.
A little girl asked them her goat to spare
but no, authorities wanted it dead.… Read more

The Presidency

José Mujica ascended to the presidency
and kept his three-bedroom bungalow
a stone’s throw from Rio De La Plata
in Montevideo gave nearly his entire
presidential salary to charity spent … Read more

American Gothic

after Grant Wood

She sits in her Adirondack chair
on the front porch of a summer afternoon,
overlooking the cutting garden
in her Confederate flag t-shirt
knitting shotgun shells with … Read more

Mama Mia

A tasty slice of pizza
in Little Old New York
is best enjoyed barehanded
and without a knife and fork.

But mozzarella lovers
have faced inflation’s blast.
The cost of … Read more

Unpermitted Encroachments

(SF city notice to remove a Little Free Library from a sidewalk)

It’s what they call a feature story,
not mainstream news,
about the little free library,
not a building … Read more

Wokeness

Wokeness is a rising tide,
A force for good, a source of pride.
It seeks to break down barriers,
And lift voices that have been silenced for years.

It’s not … Read more

Full Circle

Just my sister and me
riding in the backseat of a ’58 Dodge sedan
heading home to NJ after six weeks
of the summer sun in our grandparents’
Miami Beach … Read more

It’s My Birthday!

“It’s my birthday!”
I sing out to everyone.
From the lady decorating my cake,
To the man who’s slicing the meat.
“It’s a very special day,” they all echo back.… Read more

Baker’s Farm

chem cloud rising
black and boiling
over near Baker’s farm today
early thunder shook the ground
where the cows were eating hay
hurry now
grab the children
we must be … Read more