the first rule
of engagement
do not open
on too many fronts
and of course
I paid no attention
to my own advice
other writing
in my hands
there’s a stone
a crystal
in my hands
luminous
aglow
I rub it
polish it
hold it
feel the heat
emulating
from this crystal
in my hands
and am warmed
inside
a fire spreading
like magic
from my hands
to my heart
in threes
Wes said
everything
good or bad
happens in threes
so two accidents
the head the arm
and then the tooth
that makes three
the new job
is one
don’t count the move
Ali says
that’s part
of the same thing
so Eastern teahouse
are you two
and if so
what oh lord
could possibly be
three
unpacking memories
opening boxes
separating items
these memories
of an eventful life
in my hands
soon to be placed
on shelves
while music plays
from decades ago
and though I thought
I was safe
from pain regret remorse
there is no escape
from memories
in one’s hands
outside of boxes
laid bare
like one’s heart
decades ago
decades ahead
the here and now
basic relationship: cat & man
the cat sleeps
on my arm
anchors me down
with his love
basic relationship
no misunderstandings
no mixed messages
he wants
he gives
he gets
cat and man
at home
together
in peace
what sits opposite: for Michelle
within my heart
someone resides
how this happened
I don’t know
karma kismet
divine intervention
take your pick
what good are
explanations
at this point
for here I stand
eyes focused
on a table
in a teashop
a scent wafting
in the air
and life
no longer a question
just an answer
sitting opposite
me
eyes toward the West
the clock
does not move
the morning
seems to never
arrive
my eyes turn
toward the West
thousands of miles
away
and a sigh
escapes unnoticed
by everyone
but me
the first day of Bayram: for Ali
breakfast soup
a drive to Foça
old narrow streets
a touch of ancient Greece
talk of old times
over cay
of mutual friends
of almost love
lost love
mistakes made
lessons learned
the comfort
of the familiar
in a new old world
on the first day
of Bayram
and there is the future
laid out
in the open
just like it’s supposed
to be
dreams vs reality
there will always be
the dreams
and those ghosts
who inhabit them
playing out scenarios
of what if
almost
could be
lives reinvented
on the page
as part of
a human comedy
to keep oneself
amused
a fanciful rendition
of lives lived
somewhere else
on a border
where separate realities
converge
to clamor
for attention
in the dark
listening to Neil Young
the line
a woman with the feeling
of losing once or twice
resonates
over time
to mean so much more
now than then
and you
have been coming
to me
for such a long time
now
such a long time
am I ready
the pepsi challenge
can I tell
the real thing
from the pale
imitation
chickens or eagles
the ground or the sky
tell me
3000 years of history
what the future
holds
Leonard Durso 