I once tried crossing over
a bridge that silence built
And for mile after mile
the quiet maimed and killed
My speech was dumb and dormant
as I bided all my time
In hope of passing through the cracks
the exit doors unrhymed
My life dead on arrival
till a voice inside decreed
To build a frame beneath that bridge
—and set my meaning free
(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2019)
Trailing Closer
Those footsteps ahead
are now footsteps behind
The past but a memory
the future declines
My cadence is slowing
my direction unclear
When frozen in place
on the wind I can hear
Quiet footsteps ahead
louder footsteps behind
Their sound fast approaching
to reclaim and remind
The years stay unpromised
except for the end
Each step left unwalked
trailing closer—portends
(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2019)
The Words
The eyes of a poet
The heart of a warrior
The soul of a prophet
—but the words of a man
(Villanova Pennsylvania: February, 2019)
The Ashes Of Sin
A man must be measured
to call himself such
Each storm must be weathered
its helmsman so clutch
Fire must be extinguished
for growth to begin
The seeds of new virtue
—from the ashes of sin
(Villanova Pennsylvania: December, 2015)
The Walker
One foot in front of the other…
that’s usually enough
One thought no longer indentured
captive or rebuffed
One heart in search of love
a new life to begin
One verse free and uncensored
—your legacy to sing
(Villanova Pennsylvania: December, 2015)