poem

 Somebody Dies

When you love somebody

Somebody dies
You are that somebody.

You are now dead

You become the person

Somebody else has fallen in love with 

That’s who you are now 

An object of love

It's a tragedy

All those years of hard work and grit

Carving out a sense of self

From a slab of heavy stone 

Now a statue in the rain

An empty cathedral on Sunday night 

Not the tree anymore

Just a warm nest

Waiting for your morning song

Not an ocean

But this little boat buffeted

By the swells of a black sea

Nobody drowns

Nor is there thought

Of retreating into safe harbors

Of former selves

In the morning we wash up

On the shore of an undiscovered island

First thing we hear is the cannibals

Beating their drums 

But I’m the one who is loved!

We both shout at the same time 

Over the churlish din of waves crashing 

Then we begin to fight

Fists and scratching

Rocks and gouging 

Vengeance for the dead

We mourn

4/24/23