OCCASIONAL POEM FOR NEIL

 

OCCASIONAL POEM FOR NEIL

Did you know I carry

your photo with me

for the times when I need

to restore the grace lost,

for when I’m battling

mad drivers on the road,

for when I’m late again,

for when my mind takes me

to places no one should dwell

overlong,

for when I doubt

that true love exists,

or comes again

for those who’ve hit their 40’s,

childless,

because the stars were too distant

(or too close) after all,

but we weren’t about to admit it.

For dreams were filled with their dazzle,

and we couldn’t see what dwelled

in the darkened rooms of sleep,

because sunspots dazzled us

with sapphire splendor.

And from looking too long at the sun,

by necessity,

we learned to navigate in the dark.

By naming the object of desire,

we could never be satisfied

with the imperfections of an empire

of lost souls adrift on a dark sea

of chaos and survival,

stripped of dignity and grace,

so that I seek…

            4/10/97