take this heart as ledger
for it only gave us pain
as though stricken on a stretcher
with a near to death refrain

was it love or was it fancy
was it loneliness on ice
we sought to raise the ante
as we planned to dodge white rice

was it lost among late hours
high above a city view
mining favor from the powers
as our lives were bent askew

busy days within life's traffic
and the nights dystopic frames
when our talks went stenographic
while our feelings missed their aim

take this elevator cardiograming
its sharp peaks and valleys black
forming ridge of road show blaming
as we say goodbye to jack

-cec