Old Photo
Family bar-b-que
You leaning forward
Hand against my back
I am smiling, natural
I hated photo posing
You made it easy
Bringing out the me
I was not ready to share
You were that kind of guy
A what-you-see- is-what-you get
Unhidden quirks and faults
Made you lovable
How I miss the days
Of get togethers, bar-b-ques
Fresh cold cuts and rolls
Penny Annie poker
With little gained or lost
Not a mean bone in your body
I was safe to be me
In this game of high stakes
Full of wars and lost limbs
Days I was light the pot
You despised wild cards
But you took the hand
You were given
Dealt comfort and kindness,
Pennies from heaven
The Day I Drowned
A chorus of sparrows
Dry erased the heavens
Convulsed mountain boulders
To the bottomless sea
In my last exhale
I saw them there
Monarchs and magi
Rolled dice of their bones
Reciting scripture like limericks
I became another being
Salt in my veins
Drank red sea tea
From a vacant conch
Naked and cold to myself
In wordless awe
Those above me
Gazed into my depth
Gulped ambiguous envy
Saddened
It was not they
Who took the last breath
Egret
I saw you in the river
Standing like an egret
Hunted for your plume
On the far bank
Woodland creatures
Locked the forest door
Refused entry
The wind sang
I was not ready to cross
Too deep and swift
For me to ford
Dagger bill agape
Your wings spread
Smacking the surface
Lifting, water rivulets
From curled talons
You were gone
Becoming a cloud
Losing definition
Dispersed in blue wonder
In your absence
The river ran dark
Deep and swift like the arrow
That pierced your heart