“Dear John”

When A Verse Tells A Tale

dear john letter
caught in the railing
icy water below

Needed

my sweet peas
bloom on the widow’s side
where they’re needed

widow wanders
all the trails they once loved
aching feet

let me slip off in peace
avoiding the rivers of
lingering goodbyes

mist by the cenotaph
softly brushes my face
memories of tears

layered with gray sorrows
the sky — ready to weep
autumn funeral

sun peeks between clouds
turning raindrops to diamonds
lessons learned from tears

she cleans his headstone
scrubbing away at the years
wishing them restored

in her coffin
today she does not feel
the clouds weeping

let me slip off gently
avoiding the rivers of
lingering goodbyes