At the far end of the casket,
his girlfriend hugged his wife
And told her she was sorry,
that she had tried to steal her life
Their tears then ran in unison,
for a man who loved them both
The years they shared now testament,
to a choice he left unspoke
They never met before this day,
and would never meet again
But each knew well the other,
and they almost felt like friends
The mistress left, the children wept,
and the grandchildren played outside
As his wife looked down, saying: “Your hell has passed,
sleep well my love—goodbye”
(Villanova Pennsylvania: September, 2016)
A Joy / A Curse
Loving one woman…
a joy unto heaven
Loving two women…
a curse upon the soul
(Villanova Pennsylvania: September, 2016)
Emptiness Reveals
Loneliness arrives for breakfast,
anxiety for lunch
Rejection for my dinner meal,
desperation left for brunch
Passion came and passion went,
the nighttime thief did steal
And darkness all that’s left to bear
—the emptiness reveals
(Dreamsleep: May, 2019)
Great Grandfather John
I love you but I don’t know you,
I miss you, though you’ve never been here
I long for what the years have stolen…
a vacant memory so dear
I feel you across the hallowed spectrum,
of death and then beyond
Where our spirits write the words together…
different verses—the same song
(Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania: May, 2019)