Can a phrase rule
over a paragraph
Can the right word
stand alone
Can a thought be held
within one breath
Can the truth in short
be known
Can you single out
the future
Can you paraphrase
the past
Can you connect a feeling
to just one thought
Can you make this moment
last
Can you keep the magic
and release the trick
Can Apollo set you
free
Can you say it while
defying time
Can you voice your souls
release
(Villanova Pennsylvania: September, 2016)
Harlem To Paris
Those living in Harlem
want to live in Midtown
The people in Midtown
the Upper West Side
The Upper West Side on
the Long Island Shore
The Long Island Shore
in Aspen or Vail
Aspen or Vail
to the beaches in Cannes
The bathers in Cannes
to the Champs Elysees
People always search for where
life can begin
A place that remains distant
and far out of reach
Any excuse to look outward
and not in themselves
Theirs souls left in turmoil
—their hearts not at rest
(Villanova Pennsylvania: March, 2018)
At Rest
Returning to what was,
the past became death
All time in the coffin,
—eternity at rest
(Villanova Pennsylvania: March, 2018)
To My Son, Trystan
You no longer need any help from me,
your path is free and clear
The mantle handed off, baton passed,
my position in the rear
You don’t really need to ask my advice,
but I’m thrilled each time you do
You’ve gone far beyond the trail I marked,
to me—nothing left to prove
(Villanova Pennsylvania: March, 2018)