" A Greater Presence "

" A Greater Presence "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

A greater presence
that never quite happened
going off the handle
with youthful vitality

hastily planned
as, " not-so-bad "
scrubbing the ragged past
only, " after-the-fact "

appearing to be, " no accident "
sprawling off campus
on permanent alert
for personal security purposes

ravaging artifacts
with a fierce passion
of discredited practices
like, " no matter "
by hundreds of thousands
no longer feeling nostalgic

during a guttural back-and-forth
pre-designated as, "Awesome!"
like one strong voice enjoined by "not-so-subtle" warnings...

" Top Performers "

" Top Performers "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Top performers
drifting across borders
succulent stalks

brilliantly glossy
early dwarfs
small long-lasting forms

pruned out-of-doors
after frost
dark and soft

trailing over walls
reddening in fall
drying to straw

easing off
rich soil
coppery coral...

" Multi-Season Beauty "

" Multi-Season Beauty "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Multi-season beauty
generously flowering
glossy leaves

strong pink coloring
contrasting brightly
harmoniously creamy

miniature features
plain green
conveniently neater

reddish coppery
peeling bark
weathering to cinnamon

sheltering from the wind
prolonging red wings
stiffly twiggy at the tips

blue-tinted frontal positions
gold fringes
arching over yellow rims...

" Restoring Diversity "

" Restoring Diversity "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Restoring diversity
beginning new
growing seasons
with a good story

like germinating
Tall Telephone Peas
along with little-
known varieties

after sorting
through seeds
of heirloom
beans and beets

that might otherwise
disappear
into changing conditions
in the field

as chance seedlings
settling into nurseries
behind blemish-free
chain links
of well-preserved
memories...

" Immaculately Tended "

" Immaculately Tended "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Immaculately
tended
last-minute
tasks tackled

reviewing plans
as a mix of rare
large expanses

in roughly
half-mile spans
of under-
performing plants

newly tilled
whipping in the wind
becoming hard to pick
by gloved fingertips
without strict consistency

nearly extinct
curiosities
of public breeding
isolated in museums
of heirloom peaches

sublimely yielding
to rich whipped cream
whisked by committee...

" Under Extreme Circumstances"...

"Under Extreme Circumstances"

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Under extreme
circumstances
channeling
personalities

avoiding mimicry
of the long wary
unveiled
via slapstick
propaganda
for a great-
great grandson

with the fluorescent detail
of off-duty wear
for a hilarious Ex-Spider Man

reducing
the number of ruffs
the declarer
can take in the shorter
trump hand

while meandering
along a bridged
asphalt garden path
circumstantially at random...

" Airy and Refined "

" Airy and Refined "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Airy and refined marginally hardy
romping through conifers
neither waterlogged nor parched

unusually large loose heads
starry in shaded gardens
from the subtle to the startling

never over dominant
compact conical
reddish bronze flaking bark

in generous quantities
of shining greens
streaked with cream

floral and foliar appeal
intermingling ground covering
back-swept petals
slightly leathery
yet fitting in well

post deadheading
reddish stems
aforementioned
like days of reckoning
during hot and dry spells

becoming topped with yellow
as extraterrestrial
overwintering rosettes
with real presences
pealing in themselves

trailing spreading
smothering weeds well
but cut back in the end...

" False Forget-Me-Nots "

" False Forget-Me-Nots "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

False forget-me-nots
attractively marked
transforming into folk art

ringing parking lots
after stopping
gardening

shifting priorities
to seed crops
from megafarms

untouched
on the margins
of granite
and brick facades

hoeing knee-high weeds
in ninety-degree heat
feeling greedy for beans
lentils and chickpeas

mentioned only briefly
like must-have varieties
with slender threads that tie

while keeping bounty alive
emerging at just the right time
from deep inside...

" Dancing Grannies "

" Dancing Grannies "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

The last chance
ricocheting back
with multi-
dimensional slants

still scrambling
with longstanding examples
of the recently expanded
dancing grannies

like youthful advocates
far too challenged as amateurs
taking different tacks

scoffed at in spandex
while practicing
dancing in square
heads thrown back
with a laugh...

"The Moment Was Classic"

" The Moment Was Classic "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

The moment was classic
both driven to advance
and savvy with tactics

defined by drive
and grabbed headlines
like an 18.50 carat
Kashmir sapphire

smoldering black
rolling back
seeking comebacks

steering away from cabs
long after hailing better habits
far and away well out
of the public domain

becoming lost in a maze
of a difficult conversation
left out in the fray
from climate-change postulations

while quietly lying
on the spectrum
between radio broadcasts
and the colors of light
in a double blind
being dismissed entirely...

"Hatchet-Wielding Teetotalers"

" Hatchet-Wielding Teetotalers "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Hatchet-wielding
teetotalers
engines running
with the heat on

downright gloomy
cursory glances
at bare bones
row after row

rutted muddy
accession numbers
remaining covered

blackened weeds
around tree trunks
almost running
over assumptions

that generally come true
by bearing sorted-through fruits
as heritage foods
while looking to the future
cool as a cucumber...

"Right from the Start "

" Right from the Start "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Right from the start
affected by phenomenons
bearing sexual parts

barrel shapes
within rounded tops
winter's bark

seed pods star anise
condiments tonic
like flavorings for gin

along with the art
of the sensory
as sticky issues

unpredictably
humorless histories
upon taking sequential swigs...

A Precarious Passion

" A Precarious Passion "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

for Pop-Pop

A precarious passion
not a question critics ask
being raised by the drastic
a few days in advance

accordingly planned
as the loss of an actual
overshadowing

like black magic
never figured out
during an opening act
sawed in half...

" Galvanizing "

" Galvanizing "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Galvanizing
revisited ties
expanding oversight
of the unlikely
streamlined live

while opining
in real time
as seen online

showing promise
in a trial
under spotlights

pressing in
from all sides
within a concrete
spiral of admirers

pecking cheeks
and virally
signing sheets
with permanent inks
throughout all of history...

" Early On "

" Early On "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Early on
tell-tale hearts
left flying
under the radar

like conscious
and subconscious
dishonesties

while speaking volumes
in memoirs as dioramas
of the novel

found in shoe boxes
for the most part
post aftershock...

" The Plot Lines "

" The Plot Lines "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

The plot lines
part-time
smiley faces
with hearts
in their eyes

hinting
at springtime
going gently
into the night
in the backs
of out minds

feeling flattered
after making heirs
that turn
into smash hits
in the middle
of winter

like trending influences
intricately listening
to victories of the will
as protagonists
versus villains
in both fiction
and non-fiction...

"Mother-of-Pearl Glass"

" Mother-of-Pearl Glass "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Mother-of-pearl glass
blowing and shaping the mass
lusterless finish
after acids and sandblasting
polished iron marble slabs

pearly swirls outer surfaces
air traps in controlled patterns
of miniature lamps
with crystal handles
on pearlware baskets
stellar table manners...

" Ancient Species "

" Ancient Species "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Ancient species
maidenhair tree
longevity
hope and unity

fine grain
silky shine
freeing minds
secured survival...

Left to Take Our Chances"

" Left to Take Our Chances "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Left to take our chances
with both the earthly
and the unearthly
in a puzzled world

borders first
then filling
in the middle

rigidly binding
like hindsight
of the likewise

permitting
compromise
neither pious
nor futile

as scenarios
of wait and see
within spheres
of aimless activity

maligning human dignity
along with all living things
becoming bereft of meaning

objecting strenuously
risking vulgarity
startling to hear

inner inconsistencies
hide and seek beyond belief
clean cut void of reason
missing pieces...

" Line and Stipple "

" Line and Stipple "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

for Anton James Graff aka Dad

Line and stipple
gum arabic
dots and letters
signed in pencil

hollow-walled vessels
dazzling effects
salt cellars
inkwells

spirits of wine
and saccharine
silvered glass

goblets decanters
ultimate acts
taking leave of family

gilt chapels
moods prevailing
in open air

overlapping
acts of prayer
horizontal hatchlings
vertical bands

fragile patterns
iconographic
formless mass...

" Columnar Crown "

" Columnar Crown "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

A spreading habit
widely planted
fissured and scaly
sparsely hairy
exposed areas
superimposed
branches
attracting bats
wooly masses
reddish hairs
dried then baled
stuffed mattresses
life jackets
woody rounded
columnar crown
solitary flower...

" Could Hardly Be "

" Could Hardy Be "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Could hardly be
more different
after tagging
along in a mishmash

without having been
given the benefit
of the doubt
in jumbled fragments

unhinged by title characters
from medical establishments
somewhere between
reality and fantasy

risking causing damage
from a macabre motto
of, " Do no harm "

on signed hardback copies
straddling the high
and the low ends
of scholarly attention

frequently getting mentioned
while in padded cells
becoming grander and grander...

" Borne on Catkins "

" Borne on Catkins "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Borne on catkins
yellow drooping males
reddish green
cone like upright females

silvery peeling
ribbonlike strips
winged nutlets

helicoptering
humming and thumping
exfoliating trunks

loosely funky
cultivating whiz-bang
cheeky flirtation
tall and stately...

" The Much Anticipated "

" The Much Anticipated "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

The much anticipated
crude language
of the unnamed
in themes of migration

as if disintegrating
via miscalculation
after upping the ante
in a raggedly
tragic flashback

with loud mouthed blather
from mismatched
direct-to-camera pannings
languidly gone out of balance

at once more expansive
and more transparent
as nightmarish
buzzy baselines
and ratcheted snares

brittle sputtering percussion
monumental stutterings
from one person to another
while hushing the tut-tutters...

" Without the Epoxy "

" Without the Epoxy "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Without the epoxy
head butting a target
in less than a tenth
of a second
more or less
by accident

consistently accurate
like soaring to the basket
as a center of mass
under analysis
with jumping actions

replete with risks
and challenges
from maladies
as yet to be
figured out
while enigmatically
stiffening abdomens
out of habit...

"Seemingly Drab"

" Seemingly Drab "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Seemingly drab
but popping
with personality
and detail
at the outset
credited with invention
as shuttered Bethlehem

only microns thick
knocking down bridges
relying on invisibility
as odes to armies
after separating soda pop
from aluminum cans

along with increased
rates of cancer
and miscarriage
upon being spiked
with lime phosphates
or sodium hydroxide

from deep inside
a " Silent Spring "
oxidizing within the grip
of corrosive mystery...

" Spare the Plow "

" Spare the Plow "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Spare the plow
favor baseball caps
as self-help fads

blanketing the soil
year round
on virgin land

touching third rails
treating suicidality
panic agitation
and franticness

with guns unavailable
as preventative factors
low planned or unplanned

far-from-popular
explosive starts
hurtling through galaxies

like high-velocity stars
set in motion
by black holes

of former companions
while closely orbiting
white dwarfs
as points of origin...

" Ferrying Pistachios "

" Ferrying Pistachios "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Ferrying pistachios
with trademarked
fanny packs

donning black headbands
while trying to advance
charismatically
along meandering trails

yet becoming wary
after crossing back
fearing backlash

"What makes
an Apple tick?
It's a mystery
of lavish millions


as nefarious characters
lift sanctions with allegations
pared down with attitude

seen well in advance
as sun salutations
permeate porous borders

borne on separate trees
small petalless green
single seeded...

" There Was A Time "

" There Was A Time "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

There was a time
after landing
the last laugh
in the manner
of an alas

known inter-
nationally
silently subtitled
while in decline

in mortal form
post crematory
giant sequoias
long grey-green
lofty canopies...

"Telling Taller and Taller Tales"

"Telling Taller and Taller Tales"

by Suzán. Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Telling taller and taller tales
fearing coming up short
after raising a glass
then getting up to dance
feeling classy
while remembering ragtime
at the asylum

testing our metal
as story tellers
on anxiety suppressants
dressing up in canary yellow
seen as hard-and-fast on canvas
recycled from tar paper
and onion sacks

left in coal miner's barracks
portrayed on internment-camp
plaques having been handi-
crafted with assertful yet
tattered individuality
left in rags for up-and-coming
fairs of the really really unfair
" See you there! "...

" A Debut Of and For Whom?"

" A Debut Of and For Whom? "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

A debut of and for whom?
having once been proven
somewhat elusive

post floating big ideas
over seemingly unclear
previous years

exhibiting two wings
and one beak
as hard-to-beat
exuded solemnity

presumably regally
across wide-open zones
for one thing less-is-more
over dazes of your
being immorally reinstalled

as eye openers
upon breaking molds
by blowing
bubbles into molten
globes through votive
cobalt blow holes

hunched over
in the stalking poses
of monumental ghosts
engaging
in ectoplasmic play
while advocating
great undertakings...

" Gaining Clout "

" Gaining Clout "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Gaining clout
unlikely allies
pivotal fights

halting just short
of walking the line
while under the spotlight

on both sides
of the sugar-pie-
honey-bunch

by blustering
in blistering detail
after swiftly questioning
the hyperly competitive

filled with the overly suggestive
like anonymous witnesses
becoming readily accepted
at command centers

after claiming to be
progressively uncontested
as runaway runway collections

filled with flirty dresses
and sheer shirts
fulfilled with the stimulus
of, " Speak Up--
But Not Too Much"

with lows
in the single digits
likely not
as harsh tomorrow...

" A Multiplicity "

" A Multiplicity "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

A multiplicity
astonishing variety
bees on blossoms

transferring pollen
male and female parts
gnarled bark

protective qualities
winged seeds
suckering

self-propagating
layerings
being carried away

allowed to germinate
single parents
extreme examples
prairies ice caps...

" Uses of Figures "

" Uses of Figures "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Uses of figures
epic legends depicted
tending to be limited
by iconography

endlessly repeated in reliefs
seen frontally feet in profile
winged bulls with men's heads
carved from single blocks
one foot on an axel bar

seemingly invincible
provincial in character
long afterwards
curving lances
and round shields

friezes running beneath eaves
as guardian spirits
becoming capable of crushing
hostile visitors
whatever the angle may be
diligently raised
to didactic planes...

" Finding Humor "

" Finding Humor "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Finding humor
up close made up
of mannequins
at large in high tops

pocketing business cards
ridged with mud like ripples
accented by speckles
of copper and tin

throughout opening
monologues as spoken
by smitten cobblers
having been given the boot

free of vibrato
and unconcerned
with air columns
at The Philharmonic

large bronzes
low foreheads
thick lips as depicted
in mythic chapels
and pyramids

merging harsh realism
and elegant draftsmanship
while herding donkeys
with the bucolic charm
of excavated bedrock...

" The Cauldron "

" The Cauldron "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

The cauldron
gilt silver
Celtic in origin
mysterious objects
uncovered in peat bogs

accompanying
bows and clothing
in low relief
over a thousand
years old

branching stag antlers
flattened
somewhat at random
as shale-tablet
pictograms
playing down rancor

fragmented reliefs
on alabaster statuettes
horned helmets
mountain dwellers
bull's heads
converging forces met

stocky proportions
grasping claws
on temple doors
guardians of the soil

mega-form metaphors
in annual rainfall
anatomy of us all
tour de force...

" Simmering Views "

" Simmering Views "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Simmering views
perusing menus

cooking dudes
pairing fruits and seafood

breaking
the rules
stirring
coral-hued
guava ice
into hot
crock-pots
of spicy stew

served with vermouth-
splashed mushrooms

oozing oodles
of fruity juices

sterling heirloom
soup spoons
twirling noodles...

" A Sign of Intensity "

" A Sign of Intensity "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

A sign of intensity
a quick dash
to the hereafter

as sometimes
exasperating
peeling back

like glorifications of falcons
incident-and-fact packed
romantic narratives

soaringly varied
masters of rematching
mossy lake banks
rousing exclamations
coming out of nowhere...

" Jettisoned "

" Jettisoned "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Jettisoned
from friends
and possessions
by old-fashioned
trial and error

to hell and back again
unfathomable men
and women of letters

artfully unconventional
unconditionally caught up
in momentous events
in a this-is-now effect

bowed heads
at the closing bell
rasping tenors...

"Grey-Green Above Silvery Beneath"

"Grey-Green Above
Silvery Beneath"

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Grey-green above
silvery beneath
shade trees
for coffee and tea

flat winged seeds
pale pink
leading face veneers

feathery leaves
spectacularly flowering
lacy silk Aussies
no worries...