RELIEFS

I’ll keep what grief I have to myself
For he was the only one worth sharing it with,
And I’m left amidst the remains of others,
Or the residual wisps of what they were meant to be.

He has gone ahead and I am at the mercy
Of these drifters, stark against their background;
One day they may have responded to
External stimulation, but not this one.

Today they float in and out of sight and have
Absolutely no interest in what they see,
Confined to their own panoramas and unable
To stretch themselves beyond a stereotype.

They are examples of puppets, and simplistically so,
Hung for good along a doweling rod with no fixed points,
And slipped behind shoulder blades or other corners,
Gliding until grounded.

He resides here more than they; not in spirit or
Apparition, but in memory of omission,
And though I may never compare, I do not want to,
I only wish to meet him again in elation.