This week’s theme is Home As House. Our poets explore “house” through the window of the American Cinquain—22 syllables divided among five lines in this order: 2, 4, 6, 8, and back to 2.

David Lee Garrison lives part of the year in Prairie Village, and part in Dayton, Ohio. His most recent book of poems is Playing Bach in the DC Metro (Browser Books). The poem’s surreal tone is mirrored in its final ticking spondee.     
Dream
A knock
on the door of
dream’s dark church, or the thud
of a bird against a window:
night clock.

Heather Hoffman of Prairie Village is a 6th grade English teacher who says she “surfs the wave of barely controlled insanity that comes with working alongside tweenagers.”  She has our admiration and sympathy.  
One Parent’s Plight
Ambush.
Pluck these false fruits:
socks and unders, peppered
as camouflage for sharp Legos.
Snake bite!

Poets and poets-to-be of all ages from across the state are invited to submit to HomeWords. For guidelines, visit www.kansashumanities.org. The Kansas Humanities Council is a nonprofit organization that supports community-based cultural programs and encourages Kansans to engage in the civic and cultural life of their communities.