He opens the front door
to let in fresh air as
lightning flashes fracture
the dark tree-shadowed lawn.
Four years rumble through
his memory, echoing long
thoughts about his brother.
He liked this kind of weather.
Thunder rattles through
the screens of open windows,
daring him to close them.
A late storm batters
the shingled roof,
blows his angry
tears across the porch.
Moths flare up
against the porch light
seeking refuge. Tired after
grieving his brother, he closes
the door, locks the windows.
Originally published in The Write Launch.
Every year on my brother’s birthday,
I reminisce alone in a city of people
who do not know his name.
I look at family albums, his twisty smile.
He is flour and water rolled into pastry dough,
one last piece of pie left on the table.
Originally published in Steel Toe Review.
Frank C. Modica is a cancer survivor and retired teacher who taught children with special needs for over 34 years. His work is forthcoming or has appeared in Unleash Press, Lucky Jefferson, Red Eft Review, Sheila Na-Gig, and Front Porch Review. Frank's first chapbook, “What We Harvest,” nominated for an Eric Hoffer book award, was published in the fall of 2021, by Kelsay Books. His second chapbook, “Old Friends,” was published December, 2022, by Cyberwit Press.