In our chapel at Golden Pines,Amber light through stained glass,Across the burgundy cushions,Greying heads, hip and knee replacements,A new organ fills the room:Bach, Widor’s toccata,Three manuals, hundreds of stops.Digital, no pipes, which means to someIt is not real. Oh, but … Continue reading
In college he was a friend of friends— They’d gone to the same boarding school. We were both at Fort Jackson In ’61 on the eve of war. He came to our wedding And has shown up in our lives … Continue reading
Putting in the mailA copy of my new collection:The clerk asks aboutLiquids, perishables…Liquid—no, I tell him;Perishable is another matter,Words and pages.To be sure, it has a Library of Congress barcode,So I suppose you couldPresent yourself in Washington someplaceAnd be led … Continue reading
Turnover 1) Friday When we first came to Golden Pines, Embarking on a ritual of friendship, The seafood buffet: Tilapia, raw shrimp, thawed, still cold. I told Frank that we would not be The youngest people here for long. So … Continue reading
Our desktop, age 12, expired quietlyLast night, after a long illness,Surrounded by loved ones.Win32k.sysAddress BF801276…In its declining yearsIt was still able, slowly and withGreat difficulty, to findThe best price on gas,The route to Nova Scotia.But twelve is pretty old, even … Continue reading
AT EXIT 50 On the interstateVacant propertyUnsold for twelve years:Once a gentlemen’s club,Topless waitresses,Who knows what else;Later a stand-alone church(That’s my term—they called itA Worship Centre),God’s sense of fair play,Pastor charismatic but unschooled,Divorce counselling,Choir accompanied by bass guitar.Seller motivated,Will renovate … Continue reading