Orphans

Yellowed newspaper
wrapped and wrinkled
around cracked glass
figurines of cats and
poodles exudes sour
odors of mildew and TV
dinners. Brittle paper
crinkles sounds
into words, echoes
from when she collected
unwanted treasures 
in lieu of children,
that I now remove
from an empty room.

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Richard Dinges, Jr., lives and works by a pond among trees and grassland, along with his wife, one dog, three cats, and seven chickens. Pennsylvania English, Stickman Review, North Dakota Review, Talking River Review, and William and Mary Review most recently accepted his poems for their publications.