Someone said a poet died
a lamentable natural disaster
no one really ever understood
the uncomfortable loneliness they read,
left unsaid, in the silence between the lines
Gathered words often revealed
an awkward vulnerability
life tethered by an in-severable frayed thread
unable to shed the skin that enfolds
the dauntingly misunderstood laments
Suspended at friendless crossroads
melancholy days of indifference wept
mused many a sleepless night
"accepting an unfinished life"
evanescent as the faltering light
It’s as if there was always some wordless reason
to never feel good enough
unworthy to discover elusive love unknown
cleave a labyrinth out of the darkness
okay to just let go
It’s not a weakness to be human
"Tears are the heart’s traces" … he once wrote
"only eyes cleansed by teardrops see clearly"
heaven's rain unconditionally enlightened
by love and light.
Someone said a poet died
trying to make sense
out of all he thought he'd given
a word at a time was left behind
only abandoned words remain in the torn of silence
harlon rivers © 2016
#poetry #poets #crossroads
