A misty morning
Leaves its dew
On a slab of granite
Facing the back yard,
The names etched
Recently.

Across the roadway,
Facing the asphalt
Sits a bench, its seats
Empty, the names
Obscure.  Children
Play innocently.

Passing away is
Euphemistic, but
The phenomenon
Is not.  Granite and
Urns of dust carry
On and on and on.

Innocence during
Life stops as mind
Becomes attuned
To the slings and
Arrows of decades
Of faulty love.

A long-lost friend
Received a holiday
Letter, years after
No-contact love.
He suffered much,
Died yesterday.

All these years, I
Have strayed, paths
Worn down by
Rain and mud.
Is there a road
Home?

Rebellion begets a
Ton of memories,
Lost kisses, roses dried
And withered, off-key
Music and dead
Teetotalers.

The earth is tired,
So favorite lullabies
Drown in salt and
Ice, alongside dirges
And psalms, just
In time.


© Lewis Bosworth, 1/2017