Mortality

Etiquette

My father slurped his food

chewed with his mouth open.

No meal was more repugnant than the noisily devoured,

purple shredded beet borscht,

scooped from a jar,

topped with gobs of sour cream.

Habits passed on from a distant land.

Eat while you can.

Never miss a day of work.

Save every penny.

Provide for your family.

For most of my life,

replaying the image of my uncouth father,

I have avoided borscht.

Especially, if it came in a jar

Years after my father’s heart suddenly stopped,

I tasted nutty pistachio ice cream, imbibed creamy herring

and finally, slurped my own messy borscht.

Each delicious, sweet, sour spoonful

reminded me of my gruff gregarious dad,

red juice dribbling down his stubbled chin.

March 2024

Seagulls mourned you

The ocean waved farewell

Shell gifts in its wake

Bye the Sea

There were seagulls at the funeral

Sitting quietly among the mourners

Paying their respects

Waves crashed the ceremony

Releasing deep emotions

Wet with salty tears

Birds took flight

Rising to say the kaddish

the sun slipped out

to say farewell

The ocean rushed in

Leaving seashell offerings

In its wake

October 2023

You

Your wobbly speech

as you search for a word

once easily retrieved

startles me into reverie

Remembering her

fading essence

    morphine dreams

         growing silences

So much to lose

Casual repartee

    brilliant conversation

        intellectual synergy

             gales of laughter

When the day turns gray

When the water no longer sparkles with sunlight

radiance lingers

Afloat on pillowy fog

I drink the swirling sea

Swallow sorrow

I hold on to you

Whatever you can spare

      a smile

          a groan

               your friendship.

April 2024

Symbiosis

I.

Eyes squeezed shut

Sheltering

Deep inside

While your lids where closed

The leaves turned yellow, red and orange

Tiny snowflakes drifted slowly through the air

and a sparkling blanket of white

covered the ground

While your back was turned

The sun left the sky

spreading glorious shades of yellow pink and purple

Waves rose and fell

crashing on the shore

While you worried

about where the wind took the leaves

I was there

My fingers were gently caressing your cheek

whispering hope

II.

I am depleted

Your smile

is a paintbrush that brightens the sky

The sweetness of it

lingers

like the aroma of fresh cut flowers

Your laughter and warmth in the face of death cheer me

and fill me with hope

Like the Ukranians dancing in their heavy winter coats when all that is left for Christmas is the chill in the dark night

When my heart breaks

for the pain and sorrow in the world

I will choose joy

I will choose gratitude

in honor of your glorious smile

January 2023