The Place She Used to Lie

                                                                                                                                                                                                                

                                                                         

                                                    1963 - 2023

                                                           💔

 

 O-

ver

Twen-

Ty

Two

Thou-

Sand

Days

 

Broken labyrinths

Of all you needed,

All you wanted,

All you can

Remember

And may never

Fully

Forget

 

 

All all all

 

Word air bubbles:

   Benedictions,

     Maledictions,

       Requests,

         Whispers and

            Promises

          

Holy holy holy

 

Lights wink and blink and stare

At a dead black eye,

The place she used to lie,

And keep vigil for all her children

 

Queens and princesses,

Enclouded in Tyrian purple and

Sweeping airily thru the dying Syringa,

Flocked ‘round her essence

 

Holy holy holy

 

Flora will arrive later

And bless the eye with her tears,

Shocked at the finality of her victory

 

But the plebiscite bought her

A new dress

And wolf-whistled

When she tried it on

 

 

And

Somewhere,

Suddenly somewhere,

On a summer sidewalk

A little girl

Laughs, cries,

Whoops, hollers, spins,

Leaps, skips, dances

Then

Stops

(Mostly ‘cause she’s dizzy),

Smooths out her skirts,

Gathers up her books,

Tugs urgently at your damp fingers,

Wielding a dimpled ice cream smile,

And hurries away down

To another

Special

Place

 

Follow her

 

DB/10.2023

              

Music: "Passing Afternoon" by Iron & Wine