Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com

                            Second Star to the Right Past Solitude

                                    Cf. Shakespeare, Sonnet 9

Tears sometimes obtain in a widow’s eye
And sometimes contempt, or secret relief
But none of this is the fault of a single man
Whose basic purpose is to serve as a fourth

His love does not lead to family rows
And though his bed is couched in solitude
This solitude is a dreamy, pillowed peace:
Nocturnes from Chopin, a book beside a lamp

Tears may obtain in a widower’s eye
But a single man sleeps beneath that second star