Your ship, painted on the glass
of a five-by-seven picture frame
sails above my desk.
A study in blues, my favorite
as you well knew,
done by a man who knew
the blues too well.
The tall-master in full sail,
catching the reach
which exceeds my grasp.
The freedom of a craft
doing what it was made to do;
sailing in full faith
toward an unseen horizon
just as you were
when you came to me
with your divorce
and your truth.
I knew. Your friends all knew.
But you loved children
and family so much
that for years
you could only paint the truth
to yourself
which ended up
in a closet(yes, too ironic).
When the man came out,
so did the paintings.
I look up every day
and know the world
is a better place for it.
Hope all your sunsets are red, Rusty.