7/2/2004

No taller than
a short shrub
the man served well
the high and mighty
decades longer than
most marriages last
literate
cultured
fluent
in several languages
and
well aware of
the many toes
often exposed
where incidents
were likely
he was a prince
among the prickly
who said
don’t worry about
wanting
nothing more than
creature comfort
whirlwind adventures
more bother than
exciting
the recent death
in your inner life
a necessary preamble
to reanimation
a toll
you can afford to pay
and I listened
saying nothing.