Back Then

(C) R.L.K.

[For Gloria]

We were as innocent as we were going
to be, that cool windy day, standing
on the shore, watching the fog blanket
the distant city, knowing that the sound
of the surf was beautiful, needing nothing more.

Saying Goodbye

(C) R.L.K.

["For her soul and the souls of all
the faithful departed..."]

What is there now? This damn damp weather,
this too-gray morning soon to be lost,
the space in a world that is emptier,
and the silence inside this funeral car
while broken raindrops slide down the windows.

Cinqku

(C) R.L.K.

1.
empty
moonlit beach -
for a moment
the evening is merely
itself

2.
color
of a cloud,
lost flying ghost
of sadness: the gull in
winter

3.
tonight
a cold wind,
and once again,
a sense of the old coat's
thinness

Jottings

(C) R.L.K.

Winter twilight.
Boxcars silhouetted against the sky.
….
The season and its weather -
something emerging from mere potentiality,
something we chance upon.
….
The frail fleeting days.
Crescent moon, cluster of stars,
so many lives in motion.
….
Don’t you wonder sometimes
where the next train’s bound?
….
Bridges. Distance.
The sound of the wind.
….
Where to go,
beneath what lonely cloud
to wander?
….
How
softly
the
snow
falls
on
the
cobblestones.

Departing/Arriving

(c) R.L.K.

1.
They are gone, leaf &
blossom; now a moon of ice
shines on the bare trees.

2.
From the depot roof
crows stare at the sleet falling
on the empty tracks.

3.
A quiet moment;
dawn's bright colors dance across
the snow-cloaked prairie.