By the window (in memory of Raymond Carver)

By the window
(In memory of Raymond Carver)

He stands there
Quietly gazing
Caressing life
With a tired glance
A shadow
Brave enough
To acknowledge
Beauty
While dying
At the same time
The silent companionship
Of two boys
Delivering newspapers
The summer sweetness
Of raspberries
The easy touch of the
Autumn sun
On his lover's face
Her hummingbird voice
Fish jumping shy high
Skipping ideas
Of eternal freedom
He is drawn to
Streams, rivers,
Brooks, rivulets
To constant motion
To the opposite
Of stillness
He lets his mind
Follow the waters
Travels upstream
All the way back
To the source
Preparing for
His last journey
Stretching it
To the max
His lips blessed
By the last drop
Of life's rich gravy

October 2005