Left To Wander (+2)

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)