He was there
Then not
All in the space
Of a few final breaths
Now a ghost
Whose laugh is lost
But to memory
And longing
Gone twenty five years
In this time of cheer
And on this day
Am I reminded
A twinkle in the eye
Said more
Than words, sometimes said
Had ever said
I love you, son
The waves they roll
With languid reach
Well up on
The shallow beach
While out to sea
They roil and pitch
To salt the air
With fragrance rich
With mem’ries dear
From childhood clear
When castles rose
Above the sand
And mother’s arms
With gentle grace
Wrapped me in
Her warming brace
Just as this ripple
Ends its leisured pace
Around my shoes
With wet embrace
I’m gone
And she stayed behind
Or I left her
I’m not sure
Which narrative
I like the least
I carry her still
A memory under glass
Shrouded and unrepentant
A story ended
Without end
And yet untold
But for the voice
In my heart
That won’t let her go
Recall the vibrance
Once displayed in many hues
Now no more than trace remains
Though brightness scattered
Here and there
Decay sets in
Drains true nature
Of its lifely due
Thus am I left
With naught but mem’ries
Fading fast
Remiss this guard
Of summer past
Which lingers still
In so few leaves
Fallen to the forest floor
There soon enough
Back to earth
Will they be drawn
And all that was
Will then be gone
Delightful frolics
When the clouds softened
Saw blade peaks
Rather than coat the sky
In remorseful grey
Like Today
I remember a better day
And another to come
A future memory known not by
Prescience nor forecast
Only, hope
I have to admit
To some minor or major
Moments of fascination
Or delight
Or longing
Emotion moving my core
With some rekindled
Long-forgotten moment
Or chapter
In a life becoming much too long
To hold all the memories
Within my mind alone
A birthday card
A letter written but never sent
Elementary report cards
And aptitude test results
A story I’d written
With misshapen letters
And a child’s innocence
A Dragnet drama
Starring a detective snake
Age eight
In the absence
Recollections induce the bittersweet
With time, perhaps, becoming less bitter than sweet
Losses lightened
By the moments, words and images
We’ve captured
The joys once lived
Remain in our memories
And in our hearts
In the empty spaces
Something new, perhaps
Something new to love
“Ahhh!”
He theatrically intones
Before another whistling breath
“Smell that fresh air!”
Musky dung beyond barbwire
Making us gag
As we pass his home
In a small development
Surrounded by farmer’s fields
“Mr. Abbott!” sang the chorus
Pix to Words 