this wind that howls
outside my windows
spraying rain at times
on the terraces the balconies
this wind that moans
beyond my windows
is the only music
I listen to
and for reasons unexplained
comforts me
more than Sibelius
or Ralph Vaughan Williams
could today
comfort
when melancholy sits heavy
he comes
when melancholy sits
heavy
on my shoulders
tentatively perches
on the arm
of my chair
gently lifts
his paw
to touch my face
then settles
on my left arm
an anchor
keeping me
from floating off
into space
Leonard Durso 