Nicolas Revisited

we dug up ten years of soil
so I could get to know you

did I really think that I would?

a photograph or two
a few of your poems
and all the anger that you felt
before you died

but it's not enough

pages of your writing
smudged ink
on the copy of a copy
almost as thought it were the original
but not quite

cause the real thing is gone
buried six feet under

it is hard to grasp the soul of a man
covered in ten years of soil

but still I foolishly tried

Kim told me about the day you died
and I cried
for a man I never met

and tried to pick up the pieces

and told myself
I would play a part
in keeping your memory alive

I failed
cause no one would listen

and now I am alone
with a ghost

cause you can't bury a soul
after bringing it out into the light.