Tracy McPherson, US

 

 

Free Verse   That Hat   It was a gaudy affair A great floppy brimmed Flirty thing afloat with Yards of black tulle Wound and tied in great bows And the flowers. Well! Not sedate black roses A tumultuous riot of bright Late summer vibrant pink roses, Gerberas, yellow roses, two tiny pansies, and one deep red rose in bud. She detached the red rose bud and placed it atop the flag-draped coffin. Other ladies sniffed and glanced At each other. Hmmmph! She moved away, graciously And proudly. She would not Mourn his passing their way. She would, by his wish, celebrate His life, their life and the love They shared. Each flower on her Chapeau a memory fragranced in love Some humorous, some tender, Others outrageous and shy by turn. Each one a tribute of her heart To the man, the love and The marvelous life they had shared. He never cared for her in black, But she knew he was laughing In joy about That Hat!     We Danced Again   It was winter, February. Ten years after his passing. I was driving home from a late shift, 1:30 a.m. The highway was icy and it was starting to snow again. I had the radio on listening to my favorite station. They were playing a guitar instrumental. As it began to play I noticed what I thought was a bright star at the top of the ridge on the west side of the valley. The star became a beam of light that shot through the windshield and hit me in the solar plexus. My reaction was not now, please, no message while I am driving on this icy road. I was seven miles from home. Strangely, the same song continued playing all the way to my house. I parked and walked up the driveway, rushing up the stairs to my dormer apartment and turned on the stereo. The same music was still playing. I had set the wood burning stove before I left that afternoon. I lit the fire and sat down in my favorite chair, still wondering why the music had continued to played so long. As I gazed at the fire the scene changed; the beam of light was there in the room with me. As I watched, it opened up and I saw the dance floor where I had first danced with Mike, my twin flame. I stood and watched as he beckoned to me to dance with him. We danced. When the music stopped he hugged me, and said, “I love you, Love never dies”. The brilliant light left and I was standing in the middle of the room still feeling his arms around me.     The Coffee Angel   She saw him sitting there Nodding in exhaustion Other patrons frowning Looking askance Wet and cold Pretending to read a paper A scabbed wound on his balding head. A tired, cold hungry Old man As she ordered her coffee She ordered an extra latte with Extra whip cream And the biggest muffin She picked up her coffees And the muffin Juggled her wallet For a moment As she passed his table She paused put down the extra whip cream coffee and muffin she patted hand and pressed a bill into his palm Sir here’s your coffee Startled he looked up Saw the coffee and muffin Then noticed the bill In his hand She was gone Did anyone see the Angel?