there are fresh mulberries
both at the grocery
and on the corner cart
perfect to eat later
while watching detective montalbano
deal with crime in sicily
the breeze by the sea
cools as the sun burns my head
I think of hats
and sigh
afterthoughts are always
20/20
stopping by uğur electronic
then my weekly supply of candles
coffee with alex
at his shop
two chinese figurines in tow
a gift of an owl
dinner later ottoman style
since 1919
lamb with nuts
eggplant with beef
white wine from ayhan
to sip late at night
listening to southside johnny’s blues
as I sit in my chair
the cat sleeping on my arm
the weight of the world
nowhere in sight
how I will miss this
already a memory
as the future
plays forward
in time
and time is something
that doesn’t stand still
there is no delaying
inevitable change
as I limp forward
toward my tomorrows
moving forward
these days
the heart sinks under memories
of other days
and I get to thinking
which is not necessarily a good thing
about those faces I see in the dark
try to remember names
personality quirks
the smell of a wet field
the sun breaking through the clouds
for instance
a dog gingerly picks his way along a beach
there are shells everywhere
and is it Gene or David
who stoops to pick one up
grinning
the dog looks up expecting a game
and that long haired woman with the green eyes
who will break my heart
in ways, at times
too numerous to mention
will make the world stop
and time
here in Istanbul
moves forward
just the way it’s supposed to
dragging my mind along
hesitantly
but gently
to where it needs to go
Leonard Durso 