The contract unsigned,
pen firmly in hand

The bliss not for barter,
its insight freestands

Fame and notoriety,
may go where they please

To my grave and beyond,
the verse teaches and frees

No pity I ask for,
understanding I shun

My fortune unspoiled,
wolf’s mountain to run

Till one day uncovered,
hidden deep on the shelf

A message uncensored,
as I wrote for myself

And that voice I was gifted,
and the music I heard

In themselves live forever,
—free unbaptized words

(Villanova Pennsylvania: June, 2016)