a door closes
footsteps fade
the sun sets
there is no
tomorrow
other writing
a soul adrift
the lone owl
cries in the dark
who can hear
a soul adrift
between heaven
and the sea
old phone numbers
there they are
in address books
on cell phones
scraps of paper
stuck between the pages
of books
read long ago
names sometimes
attached
though often
on those scraps of paper
missing
or incomplete
and one is left
trying to remember
faces
personalities
quirks in speech
hesitating
as one often does
deleting
putting off
till another day
erasing one more link
to a life
what you have
sometimes
all you have
is the cat
and though
quite possibly
you wanted
more
at least
you don’t have
less
time zones
the clock
tells time
where you are
where I am
the hour
thousands of miles
apart
much like our life
together
yesterday today
tomorrow
on balloons: for Little Chuck & Big Chuck
hope rises
like it’s supposed to
a balloon
floating
toward heaven
our eyes cannot see
but it is there
above us
keeping dreams
alive
when life comes calling
the eyes droop
like eyes will
with sleep
a foreign concept
here
on the border
of what lies
ahead
one plans
in a fashion
a future
resembling
one’s vision
which is
worth living in
when life
comes calling
here on the shore of the world: with a nod to Li Shang-yin
here I stand
on the shore
of the world
settling
yes, settling
into the view
while an owl
somewhere behind me
perpetually asks
the question
I myself
long to answer
here
on the shore
of the world
talking with Ali
sometimes
you just have to
sit back
and let it
go
just perfect
everything was fine
he says
looking around
just perfect
and then
they ruined it
alas alack
says he
before leaving
life
he goes
is like that
just perfect
til they come along
and come along
they always do
to muck it up
just because
they can
Leonard Durso 