To Defy (+5)

Beyond comparison,

they rise when we fall

Uniquely divergent,

to impale and enthrall

No reference or genre,

descriptions confound

 Bowie and Jagger

—alone in the crowd

(Dreamsleep: March, 2020)

Sleep Well

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)

Torches Rage

The past is but a distant flame,

with reasons there disowned

Where fire burns in effigy,

to singe that falsely known

The ages but a candle dim,

its wick burned to the quick

As torches rage from deep within

—all time a kindling stick

(Dreamsleep: March, 2020)

Thine Own

My reward not determined

by anyone else

Thorns as

roses named

Words carry inward

on breath I define

Acceptance

—self ordained

(Dreamsleep: March, 2020)

Literary Hourglass

There’s just a set number

of poems to write

And writing the last,

I’m done

To die but alone,

with my words as the pall

Breathless verses

—left unsung

(Dreamsleep: March, 2020)

Fated Current

Are you the latest one I’ve left alone,

heart Shanghaied—no goodbye

Are you wondering why as questions loom,

the answers high and dry

Were you sure you’d be the only one,

to wade misfortune’s tide

As that fated current pulled me back

—to drift again untied

(Villanova Pennsylvania: March, 2020)