The first publication of Scruples was in three by 3, December 2013-February 2014. Numbers 1 and 2 were complimented with sound files. The latest, #17, was posted in March-May 2020. This is their first reprise with more to come!
All told: “The idea of scruples has to do with ethics and morality: what is right and wrong. Scruples are a kind of moral compass that lets you know what’s right.” (https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/scruples )
1.
Last night a meteorite fell
on our lawn. It’s as big
as a birdbath, but not
smooth and round, or white.
This one’s the darkest
we’ve seen since moving in.
Pitch black I´d say.
Also, more furrowed.
Around here, they come from
time to time. So far,
none’ve hit a house, just
backyards. Our’s landed
beside the rose garden.
Thank heaven it didn’t
singe any.
2.
The gate opens easily
because its hinges’ ve been oiled.
Now he can come and go
without feeling guilty.
But what about the latch?
Rusty…a spring’s missing…
another’s in pieces…
Tomorrow, next week, month,
it won’t work at all.
Then he’ll be locked out, or in.
3.
Lazarus´s alive. He’s eating breakfast
with his sisters. On the table
there’s fresh fruit, hot bread,
enough tea for everyone, including
well wishers who’ll soon
be swarming in like locusts.
Mary and Martha´re crying, but not
for joy. A pall’s fallen over the room.
He’s confused, angry…says
he was on the way to heaven
when it turned into a back
road to Bethany…that
their meddling in his afterlife
did more harm than good. Published in The Columbia Review
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