Papa said ...
“Sentimental
people are cruel”
trading what might be
for what is
Filling their plates
with what’s not
on the menu
longing for soda
without fizz
Papa wrote
distant
always bringing it close
while leaving the weak
to surmise
With feeling
embodied
in hardscrabble words
to challenge but death
— so implied
(Gertrude Stein Remembers: August, 2025)
The Embodiment
In the shadow
of perfection
time stops
— as eternity takes form
(Dreamsleep: August, 2025)