simply gray

my eyes see only gray today.

mountains and mountains of gray. absolute and utter
gray. gray expanding from east to west, north to south,
from the heavens to the very depth of the sea and
from now until eternity. gray oozing out from
every infinite particle and covering me like a shield
the wisdom of my being.

shy old brittle man where have you been these
last few weeks?
ah, the cold winter wind have kept you indoors i am sure.
away from our favorite park bench even the pigons have
have taken exception to the cold and have perched
with the blackbirds in the church tower.
but today,today
the warmth shall surely bring us together where i have
waited for nearly three weeks.
then as if i was some great
lookout i spotted him slowly,carefully descending the
seven steps from his door to the sidewalk.
watching him i
thought to myself how many times has his old legs carried
him down those all but crumbeling steps?
bundled in his
coat,scarf and hat which have more years then he cares
to remember he slowly begins his three block walk to meet
me. he will never look up to see if i am there_he knows.
today i notice his walk is not as brisk, nor as steady
as he sways from side to side. ocassionly he looks as if
he will just topple over and i am tempted to rush to his
side, but no, his resolve will prevail and he will make
that walk.
and i wonder if i will be able to carry
his burden when i reach his age?
almost completely
out of breath when he reaches me he can only nod
and sits in silence perhaps wondering how many more
times he can make this journey. he does not need to say
a word because just his presence will give this day purpose.
just his presence will give my life meaning and as long as he
sees the light in my eyes he will keep comming.
we will sit
for as long as this shy old man can endure and he will tell
stories of his past.it will not matter if i have heard the story
before or if he can not remember the ending or if the ending
changes. it is the way he tells the story----
always with affection

12,748

remembering the common
forgetting the obscure nights of
rushing colors and clouds of
uncertain stillness.

this then was the setting and he and i sitting
on are store boughten chairs
drinking whiskey from our plastic cups
were the sitters
we, discussing the world while she
slips into obivion and
we having alittle lonesome fun.
he, with no false pride me,
admireing his integrity. me,speaking of the past
he the future but
both realizing that the uncertainties are at best
only for the certain.
and we, talking as if we were both great philosophers
suddenly realize the
lights have been dimmed and it is time to go to bed.
me,lying down to dream
can still here his incessant laughter.

snowflake

a single snowflake
falls, touching my

cheek, melting instantaniously from the
warmth of my skin
leaving only a cold drop of water.

such a long journey for
the snowflake-to end
it's journey on me,
so unassuming.