To Joseph

Who do you call

when there’s nothing to share

How do you act

with tomorrow unfair

 

What do you dream

when your sleep is deprived

Why are the questions

though answered, contrived

 

When did your wonder

wander away

When did the path

eternally stray

 

How did the moment

slip over the line

How will you tell me

— your memory gone blind

 

(North Wales Pennsylvania: January, 2024)

My Present To You

I remember the day

you borrowed my pain

“Take it,” I told you

no need to explain

 

It’s shopworn and battered

each scar duly earned

Its weight a true burden

of prophecy spurned

 

Then when you’ve finished

the torture complete

Find a new soul

to will it discrete

 

But no matter what happens

or how much you cry

This loan is forever

—forever goodbye

 

(Haverford College: January, 2024)