Ashes by Richard D. Houff

I watch and listen to the wind
bending rumors through tall grass

Forgotten names from faded
photographs relinquish their claim:

they appear in the guise of lost homes;
a wasted space of want

On empty avenues,
broken and stumbling ghosts

lead me toward
another nowhere corner

And I really don’t know the time
or where I am going

Richard D. Houff was the former editor of Heeltap Magazine and Pariah Press Books, from 1986 until 2010. His poetry and prose have appeared in: Aldebaran, Brooklyn Review, Conduit, Louisiana Review, Midwest Quarterly, North American Review, Rattle, Sutter Town Review, and many other fine magazines. His most recent book of poetry: Dancing on Rooftops, was published in 2019 from Homage Press.