A Pox On Dorian Gray (+1)

The artist may tarnish,

but his art remains clean

His intention stays ageless,

his wishes pristine

Though rust covers over

what’s harder to see

The base is still there

—and the spirit still free

(Dreamsleep: December, 2021)

Leaving Grandma's House

I walked the same path I had always walked,

but the flowers and the bushes were changed

The birds had stopped singing, the woods became dark,

and my memory a tiger untamed

I came to that spot where tomorrow began,

but the gates to its entry were closed

The path veering inward where remembrance escaped

—to wander both free and alone

(St. David’s Pennsylvania: December, 2021)