just because your dead
doesn't mean
i don't love you any more

at 69 i stand before a trail
of dead women i have loved
beautiful women
break your heart
****..smart..kind...willing...
women

ive watched the years
grind them down
turn silk to hay
cherries to mulch

sickness unraveled
there beauty
can you see
my garland of memories
and each flower
an absence

so when
i say i love you
you couldn't possibly
know how much