Alone
in my boyhood
the adult awaits
impatient indulgence
the year growing late
The woods
and the forest
refuse to let go
my spirit within them
the man to forego
Parents
and teachers
left counting the days
as wonder and whimsy
hold on and delay
The moment
I falter
the day that I fall
that boy left to wander
— where time never calls
(Dreamsleep: January, 2024)
Pound Of Flesh
Living in one
renting the other
Owning them both
then to discover
As owner I’m captive
the tenant is free
In debt to the banker
—remortgaging me
(The New Room: January, 2024)
Aretha
Once she performed it
she made it her own
With joy we all listened
and marveled atoned
Endowed from the heavens
the Angels in awe
Her spirit celestial
your nerve endings raw
A voice for all seasons
Grand Madam of sound
To search for a lifetime
her like never found
While crossing each genre
she made time a slave
Her stylings eternal
— a gift heaven gave
(For Aretha Franklin: January, 2024)