" Foreword

" Foreword "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Foreword predatory comments
prompted by stamens blossoms
sporting green filaments
and red anthers atop
spiny branches
dark bark

cracking into rectangles
spherical wild apples
aromatic gelatinous
jacketed jackfruit

aquatically adapted
mangroves
aided by aeration
stunted
by acid rain
in high concentrations

ripening stiffening
surviving species
needle like leaves
shedding snow easily

mountainous regions
broadleaved evergreens
short-term-long-term memories
from folklore to forestry...

Energy and Repetition

" Energy and Repetition "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Energy and repetition
long-explored
remarkable performances

hovering harmonies
in millimeters'
soft ba-buhs of heartbeats

summoning meanings
from slowly
vanishing poignancies

gradually receding
within wispy elegies
to memory itself

typifying inner complexities
perpetually ricocheting
as matters of grey...

"Knocking Down Icicles"

" Knocking Down Icicles "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Knocking down icicles
having been duped
out of an island

well after the shelling stops
by counterparts
as luring targets
for houses of cards

becoming harder and harder
to topple like 100% electronic
one-child-policy sub genres

portrayed as lives of the saints
all the way from cradle to grave
with far-fewer originations
of chicanery--at least the new
metrics say so

multiple times along the way
falling under major labels
of, " well-worth-the-wait "

while long-time collaborators
segue into serenades
in one-two combinations
atop Billboard Charts...

A Rare View

" A Rare View "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

A rare view
one entangled tale
eccentrically ham handed
as a she-dragon
becoming heavy in detail
and great tensile strength
after a breakup

like critically acclaimed betrayals deemed,
"It's all in the game"
on unadulterated
op-ed pages

predating the digital age
rampantly scapegoated
overtaken unnamed
supposed enablers

circuitous and opaque
enigmatic strangers
ungainly enfabled
flashing impersonations
dropping names
eyebrows raised...

" Greenhouse Frogs "

" Greenhouse Frogs "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Greenhouse frogs
shelter moisture
encouraged to call

frequently seen
foraging in leaves
warm summer rains

eggs laid
lush vegetation
grasping females

chirping repeatedly
increasing humidity
white-lipped frogs

throaty 2-note calls
foaming meringue like nests
whipped body secretions

clasped around waists
heavy rains widening ranges
gangly leaps into space...

All Listed in Chalk

" All Listed in Chalk "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

All listed in chalk
managing wars
on blackboards
as travel warnings
for overturned laws

during trade talks
for former refugees
lows in the teens
frigid sunny

hard wired
for happy talk
like Polyanna
of " no matter "
as students
of language habits

drinking colas
and consuming
trans fats per capita
feverishly overactive
while on the lam
memoirs of madness

long-ago events
medical records
aberrant chemistry
morphing
from disciplined
to disorderly

happily manic
rocky pasts
like deers
losing antlers

heads covered
with beekeeper's veils
honey sold
buzzing by the hundreds...

" River Headwaters "

" River Headwaters "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

River headwaters
voiceless
seen crawling

never transforming
amid moss
thin moist short stalks

away from water
during fall
grayish to chocolate

sandy gravelly soil
coiling
violent contortions

peppered with flecks
seepages streamlets
noticeably webbed

scattered red
near sea level
wavy edged

guarded nests
acquatic duskies
upland streams

dark rippling
rock bottomed
rotting logs

black spots
floodplain forests
freely preyed upon

soggy swampy margins...

Communicating at a Distance

" Communicating at a Distance "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Communicating
at a distance
behavioral signals
as sand skinks
swim into sand hills
and scrub lizards
lay clutches of 2-8 eggs
in precisely timed combinations

conceding a ruff-and-sluff
after considering ducking
given the trumps and lumps
of a double dummy

like tumbling classes
for stage hands
as lurid details
of cyber warfare
by underdogs

defending territory
against malls
during hard-fought-
six-minute-long trailers
both sad and joyful

silly-goose lasso wielders
as crazy things happening
in bits of bric-a-brac
mimicking lizard hatchlings

being fed vegetable matter
insects and carrion
as wary inhabitants
of dry prairie bushland...

A True Katydid

" A True Katydid "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

A true katydid
not often seen singing

exclusively
at night via moonlight

folded fanwise
long and hairlike

mimicking leaves
within the registers of trees

synchronized
bright greens...

Plucked Leaves for Stanislaus Dubowski

"Plucked Leaves
for Stanislaus
Dubowski"

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Plucked leaves
for Stanislaus Dubowski
bobbing along like dinghies
with small spiny teeth
feeling papery and a little fuzzy
at 100 years plus on a short trunk
shallow acorn cups
dropping in late summer..

Save the date:
" SD @ 100 + "
May 25, 2022

Mind-Teasing Eye-Catching

" Mind-Teasing
Eye-Catching "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Mind-teasing
eye-catching
like wily
winter nights

neither other-
worldly "om"
nor rum-
muddled
mojito

yet hard-
to-believe
ogres
and pixies

stilted
and silly
tweaked
and re-
tweeted

indifferently
mimicking
aristocracy

incessantly
full
of the present

like problems
and pleasures
with scores
to settle

brims worn
backwards
during
expansion
plans
at crowded
art fairs

getting riffed
in comic
monologues
having gone
over the top

in celebrity
besotted
meditation
postures

donning
complicated
garb

raised on
chest-high
pedestals

to diminished
effect seen
as slightly
more breathless

captured
in red after
reassessing
underlying
messages

hovering
as cherubs
overheard
overhead...

Upshot or Upstart?

" Upshot or Upstart? "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Upshot or upstart?
practicing on a snare
as a magical rat-a-tat-tat

simulating combativeness
opposed to seemingly charitable
yet actual savage acts
with classical aftermaths

seen first hand bearing
witness in drab army pants
crying and holding hands
through flack jackets

atop tiered platforms
of " no matter too pat "
protractively enchanting
interactively admirable

as if per chance
with poised command
after falling headlong to the floor
rolling sideways surging forward

in close proximity
to predictively flippant
coin tosses
while playing the odds
in staccato...

Countering the Allure

" Countering the Allure "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Countering the allure
tended gardens
trendy coffee shops
training endlessly
strategic logic
blunting the dark

amplifying tolerance
marking progress
faithfully honored
building blocks
as consensus policy
with divisiveness nuanced

moving waves and particles
mindbogglingly subatomic
but relatively homogeneous
as specialized teeth
for super diggers
with crawling limbs
and shortened digits

as caterpillars
blending into leaves
masking uncertainty
while seeking to rally
winged monarchs
and swallowtails
of spring via milkweed...

" A Challenge From The Fringe"

" A Challenge From The Fringe "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

A challenge
from the fringe
moving towards
an undisciplined middle
" Fancy meeting you here! "
gleefully greeting attendees
singing, "Hit It...Pata Pata!"

with lots of sparkle across tartans
cross-body shrugs leather tees
promissory mink bugle beads
beaver belted trousers
over loose blazers

attractively matching
metallic motorcycle
jackets if nothing
but extravagant
as " too bad "
in sheer organza
ready-to-wear

cinched with intelligently
idiosyncratic silk taffeta
soon thereafter playing taps
capped in black-veiled patent tams...

Edited and Condensed

" Edited and Condensed "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Edited and condensed
adjusted footsteps
in glassed-in spiral stairwells

walled off in open floor plans
with much-sought-after
massive beamed details

like pristine world-class
blazed pathways
beneath stained-
glass transoms
handling high-
fired stoneware

spraying the backstage
with canned fog
sanctioning apartness
in a new memoir

yet getting onto something
while typing and swiping
as signs of isolation

shaped by electronic chaos
fatalistically mismatched
by practicality and romance
in retirement plans

left fighting for life
spiritedly stylish
tip-toeing
in tutus and tunics...

A Not-So-Subtle Nod

" A Not-So-Subtle Nod "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

A not-so-subtle nod
to the cultural
subconscious

like injection-
molded
lacy plastic
sofas on stage

transitioning
into one's own
continuous ombré

with four pillow cases
on bed ensembles
twin full queen and king
fitted and flat sheets

lighted by pole lamps
and extinguished
smoking candles
on night stands

after stepping
barefoot
onto hand-
knotted boudoir
rags

sporting red
enameled nails
mani and pedi...

Romantic Seriousness

" Romantic Seriousness "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom
Mom Suzán

Romantic seriousness
merging love celebration and memory

while leaning heavily on ambiguity
and asterisked pangs of feeling

old and ugly becoming a little fuzzy
after wondering

yet ultimately conjuring up
earthly intensity

by spring boarding
out of hard-bop mode

emerging unbowed
bouncing up and down

with raw stripped-down rhythms
devoided of frills

patchy and compassionate
embellished by essential influences

with theatrical leanings
transitioning from silk

plastic apparel lighted
by dazzling paper lanterns...

An Exact Alchemy

" An Exact Alchemy "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

An exact alchemy
melodist and minimalist

oscillating shimmering
vigorous pulsing symmetry

quiet flickerings
stirred into intensity

steeped in tragedy
closely matched

smooth passages
distilled in the past

hand-in-hand
as uncanny
rapid-fire standards

pampered
in harem pants
" Semper Ad Asrtra "...

Bold Additions

" Bold Additions "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Bold additions
repaid tenfold
through ice floes
on the edges
of overload
off the coast

like impresarios
musing with kaleidoscopes
of rotating touchstone gustos
in full-screen mode
via vaporist soloist pianissimos

as heirs to deep blues
becoming fleshed out
and organically planted
with throwbacks
on large scales

dating back
standing stacked
along horizon lines
of love-at-first-light...

Big Bend

" Big Bend "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Big bend
curved back
smooth scales
barren flatlands
open areas
smooth sandy

upland hammocks
dry high pine land
hissing striking
preying on spiders

praising prodigies
jutting into the sea
panoramically
mind-stretching
lists of standards

perhaps fittingly
over cliffs and headlands
being likened
to buccaneer capitalists
sniffing out
undervalued assets

acting freewheeling
and snappy
appearing humpbacked
as spittle masses
seen just at a distance

rarely absent
whitish powder
tough waxy
appearing on cactus
sugar-like manna

great spangled
red admiral
wings intrepidly
held together
while at rest...

A New Light Cast

" A New Light Cast "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

A new light cast
after a fiery crash

asking, "WHY?!"

straining to make
sense of the fatal

with barrier breaking underway
underscoring the retaking of gains

going without saying
droning on and on

evading radar crash landing
almost backwards

being barred
as untrained hobbyists

becoming unmanned
while going under surveillance

gathering data on whales
released as new drafts

under suspicious circumstance
yet remaining well within sight

like fireflies blinking
recognition at twilight

glow little glow-worm
glimmer glimmer...

Live Oak

" Live Oak "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

for The Dubowski's
aka The House of Oak Family...


Live oak
sturdy
two-to-five
inch leaves

dark acorns
sandy lowlands
salt air
" Lawdy! "
" Glory Be! "

shaggy rampant
moss canopies
glamorously
festooned branches
leathery waxy
broken glass
live-oak decline

fluffy pool slides
reaching rather-
chic heights
being likened
to playful new
arrivals and
" Why Not?! "

as holey
as Swiss cheese
bubbly little things
courtesy of spring

coveted lovey-dovey prints
spouting, " Just browsing! "
yet thinkin' 'bout gettin' down
in button downs going all out
" Far out, man, far out! "...

Bee-Lining It on BuzzFeed

" Bee-Lining It on BuzzFeed "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Bee-lining it on BuzzFeed
in towering stilettos
thick black sunglasses
and a platinum-blond wig

accompanied by an entourage
of body guards on the honor system
emerging from armored cars
donning flack vests
and weapons at the ready

being screened
on TV and the web
like coveted celebrities
for up-and-coming
public consumption

baring near backless
cutouts and peek-a-boo
hot pinks as impromptu
retooled strength and beauty

finally the truth
with collars loosened
and blond tresses
attached as zapped extensions
no appointment necessary

futuristically sort of girlie
giving a twirl
while on the circuit...

Making Overtures

" Making Overtures "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Making overtures
trading the beach
for the country

with plantings
for the birds
bees and butterflies

like making paintings
by numbers
as yellow- swallowtails
and orange monarchs

remaining popular
like Lombardy poplars'
screening properties

fast-growing lithe forms
dancing leaves
rustic settings

bronze in spring
then green and pale green
then golden
when standing alone

clattering flashing pale
felt-like hairs
stylish black diamonds

taking swipes at neckties
blurring lines
city girl meets tomboy style

sunglasses propped
atop a short bob
globetrotting

chronicling a shaved
Adam's apple
for Johnny Appleseed

with the use of marionettes
as questions
of gender etiquette

choosing to stick
with "he" and "him"
versus "she" and "her"


male flowers resembling
4-inch purplish caterpillars
female flowers on separate trees
producing hanging bracelets

releasing tiny black seeds
attached to tufts of hairs
symbolizing hope and candor...

Never Far From Mind

" Never Far From Mind "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Never far from mind
flickering in a kind
of half-life for footlights

like teeterers on high wires
as watchful eyes grow wide
amid fighting praying silently
for the shelling to subside

during overtures while choralists
in starched red blazers
warm up back stage

stiffly listening for whistling artillery
as musicians play crisply
on pitch under fire in the pit...

Can Be Traced Back

" Can Be Traced Back "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Can be traced back
after giving rise
to an unoccupied
arid environment

facing rigors of life
locomotion
and breathing
problems

never entirely divorced
from preceding species
during breeding seasons

swollen rings
lower bodies
dark mottling
spotting

large flat rocks
emerging larvae
well guarded

heavily blotched
weed-choked ponds
cypress swamps

gill slits
no hind limbs
carnivorous sirens...

Crammed with Seeds

" Crammed with Seeds "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Crammed with seeds
tough as a tree might be
replete with delicate leaflets

grass and flowers beneath
transplanted from nursery to street
belying menaces to species

growing from twigs
already filigreed leaves
light-yellowish green

cultivated thornless varieties
shaking off heat
tolerating salt spray

tall flat plates
curling away
contrasting heavy shade

pulsating cicadas
reddish veins
on wings and eyes

eggs laid in twigs
brown stout-bodied nymphs
crawling up trunks
molting into adults

greenish markings
arboreal majorities
life-cycling buzz

northern plus southern
differing species
overlapping broods
loud pronouncements

herringbone patterns
long-tailed salamanders
side bands stream sides
tree lined black stripes
bellies dull white

in search of tiny
invertebrates at night
keeping silent...

Marzipan-Hardened Scalawags

"Marzipan-Hardened Scalawags"

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Upbeat loosed blueprints
infused with pungent pink petunias
in use as olfactory memory enhancers

for common mom de guerres
like brown twisted nails
for battling heirs

as battering rams hammered out
by bankrupted budget plans
likened to belated picked-up tabs

daubing away tears
over years and years
for helicoptering migrant mule deer

while wishing to amiably flit
onto pigment-thickened
water garden lilies

sketched out posthumously
by marzipan-hardened scalawags
being asked, "Is it larger
than an almond bread box?"...

Gnarled Ponting Fingers Wag

" Gnarled Pointing Fingers Wag "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Gnarled pointing fingers wag
behind stained cut glass

deliberately misleading
smacking of heavy artillery

being sunken into the muck
perfunctorily defunct

as rockets are struck
by the unfamiliar blurred hundreds

numbing thuds
launched off as conundrums

too grainy to decipher
first-time staged for the new old age

swooping down into singed clouds
perilously penetrable

particularly hard hit
getting off shots easier and cheaper

like odd companions indeed
as skeletal alley cats lead

tail-less blind mice
as if to drink...

A Fragile Circle

" A Fragile Circle "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

A fragile circle
of hand claps
as dance
single-handedly
evoking
kickoff rapture

glittery silver gloves
steely and practiced
throwbacks in eyeblack
for halftime pick-skin glam

polka-dotted marvels
harnessed over harsh marks
of hash marks while little piggies
cry, "Wee Wee Wee all the way home"

aka " taking it to the house"
across celebrity runways
using weaves of archival material
over retro jerseys and leather helmets

minus Nike checks torqued
with tension in overblown
public spectacles
yet being left unaddressed
after falling under the spells
of silken ruthlessness

rivaling for attention
frustrated affections
underwritten ramrod-stiffened
cynical interest getting kicks
from playing, " Chicken "...

Seen But Not Halted

" Seen But Not Halted "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Seen but not halted
as small drops of oil
cover up enlarging odds
borne in blockbuster parks
like misconduct surpassing
the landings on comets


sometimes frightening sprays of light
while harpoons simultaneously fire,
"How exciting!" gone out of the line of sight zooming by grips tightening

once unthinkable
becoming twice as big
as she and/or he
like criminalized activities
"pink slips" versus "permission slips"

stalking aggravated assault
revenge porn obsessing over
searching the web for dead URLs
suffering emotional distress
as ill-tempered jilted lovers dispense
internet-connected spectacles...