Poetry: Selections from Taylor Dibbert

Cotton and Reed

He’s stopped by,

His local liquor store,

Doesn’t really need anything,

In particular,

Feels like picking,

Something up,

Already has,

Plenty of beer,

Not in the mood,

For wine,

He’s in the,

Liquor section,

Now,

Checking out the rums,

He doesn’t drink,

A lot,

Of rum,

But it is something,

He enjoys,

From time,

To time,

Sets his eyes,

On a bottle,

From Cotton and Reed,

A distillery,

In Northeast DC,

Feels like he’s,

In the mood,

For rum,

Picks up,

The bottle,

Mellow Gold,

And then,

He goes back,

In time,

When he,

Was at,

Cotton and Reed,

Touring the distillery,

With her,

Thinks this happened,

On a Saturday morning,

But he can’t remember,

They toured the distillery,

Then had cocktails,

At the bar,

After that,

They wandered,

To some,

Random spot,

For dinner,

Splitting a pizza,

Holding hands,

Having fun,

He remembers,

Getting into an Uber,

A very cold,

January night,

Both entering the car,

On the,

Left side

She had,

The middle seat,

They spoke for,

A few minutes,

And then,

She fell asleep,

On his shoulder,

On their way back,

To their place,

In Takoma,

It was a fun day,

And night,

Bright and sunny,

Every bit,

Of it,

No sign,

Of darkness,

No indication,

Of what was,

To come.

Custody Evaluator

An awkward situation,

And yet,

He still,

Didn’t fully appreciate,

Their potential,

For destruction,

Lost,

In the trees,

Forgetting,

The forest,

Another clog,

In a broken system.

Taylor Dibbert is a writer, journalist and poet. He's author of the Peace Corps memoir Fiesta of Sunset, and the forthcoming poetry collection Home Again.