The Woman And Man In The Room

Written By: John Grey

The woman in the room blurts out 

how much she misses me.

But the man has nothing to say.

He barely knows who I am.

Her hair is darker than I remember.

And the color at the edges  

is true to its roots.

His hair is black. So is his thin moustache. 

I have nothing to remonstrate her for.

She’s not here begging for forgiveness.

As for him, how do you reprimand someone

for dying much too soon.

She reaches out to me with her left cheek,

and I lean over, kiss its fine skin.

He offers a long arm, a hand, 

to bridge all the missing years.

I tell her, “I’m happy here.

But then, you knew I always would be.”

I say to him, “It’s okay. 

I somehow made it without your help.”

She fades into the dawn light of fulfillment.

He breaks apart in the shadows of regret.

I am a child of ghosts. Their presence 

keeps watch on their absence elsewhere.

John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident, recently published in Midnight Mind, Novus and Abbey. Latest books, “Bittersweet”, “Subject Matters” and “Between Two Fires” are available through Amazon. Work upcoming in Alchemy, Touchstone and Willow Review.