Words are now
as if
I never wrote

gather as an aching
lump in my throat.

They don't seek paper
only a river
to pour and mingle
in refrains of a dumb sadness
flow away
sunburned and tidewashed
to where the river is widest
deepest with sighs
of life not enough
in once only
and when just begun
ending broken on the shore.

I see you, now.
Anxious, thick-skinned man; and his
     jumped-up, bird-***** boy.
Wet feet sloshing on lazy floorboards,
     footprints of a ghost.
Devoted eyes, devoted hands,
     flecked with aureolin and azure.
Wild eyes, shaky hands,
     speckled with blood and dirt.
Why have you dragged him here to see me,
     yet again?