My husband's poetry

Category: grief

  • Barista Wipes Hands on Apron

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    by

    cfblack
    in , , , ,

    Barista knows grief takes its sugar With small baptisms of steam and milk Places a blessing on the counter without spilling Affirms love is never sinful — With small baptisms of steam and milk She watches hands tremble toward warmth Affirms love is never sinful Even as sorrow stains the tongue — She watches hands…

  • Grief

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    by

    cfblack
    in , , ,

    Grief arrives unannounced …quiet as a mouse in the corner of a room nibbling on forever. There are no witnesses so you try to pretend it’s not happening as it runs up the wall and disappears only to reappear in the mIddle of the night wearing someone else’s face. A clock for a mouth, melted…

  • Flickering light

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    by

    cfblack
    in , , ,

    Charlie was a working man retired from the city married late in life had three young children and a wife he did odd jobs for me to pay his rent — His kids liked to play outside under a street light the light began to flicker he climbed the pole to fix it fell and…

  • Wake

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    by

    cfblack
    in , , ,

    I used to wake in the middle of the night, watch you fall in slow motion from the sky, unable to catch you. Did dreams and premonitions of death ever haunt you and wake you in the middle of the night? I wanted you to be happy and did not tell you my dreams. Now…

  • Grief

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    by

    cfblack
    in ,

    I wake in the middle of the night and think of you. I eat oatmeal with blueberries on the porch and think of you. I watch steam rise from my coffee cup and think of you. I cook sausage and eggs for your mother and think of you. I sit in a chair in our…

  • The dance

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    by

    cfblack
    in , , ,

    When I was young I had no fear. I dove off bridges into the flooded Wabash, turned off head lights and raced away into the night on acid, hitchhiked across America, stood toe to toe with a cop and a billie club and won. I took my beating from a squad of his buddies in…

  • Prayers up

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    by

    cfblack
    in , , ,

    Movers come at 8:30 Junk/Salvage guys at 10 Suitcase is packed Coffee’s hot and fresh Patio is calling one last time Prayers up for Jasmine 9-15-25

  • empty haiku

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    by

    cfblack
    in , , ,

    sit on daughter’s deck birds sing in the deep green woods empty bird feeder 9-13-25

  • Tailless lizard

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    by

    cfblack
    in , , ,

    High above a plane glistens in fading light, crescent moon visible in blue sky. Plane and moon pass by each other or so is seems from where I sit. Tailless lizard walks by on porch screen. Does it know I cannot reach it through the screen or is its arrogance why it is a tailless…

  • hoping

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    by

    cfblack
    in ,

    hoping to preserve the illusion of permanence I spend all day sewing holes worn In the veil between worlds only for sleep to rend it back asunder 8-29-25