by Michael Baldwin
Grief entered my ear
like fingernails clawing
at the blackboard of my being
Grief found your hole
in my soul
and set to chewing its edges
Grief smelt of burnt
beans boiled dry
when I returned from hospice
Grief looked at me
in the mirror
and saw you here beside me
Grief came to me
in a dream of you
reaching unreachably to me
But your dream-self said
do not torture yourself
with grief for me
It causes me grief for you
Michael Baldwin is a retired library administrator and professor of American Government. He has published 7 volumes of poetry. He resides in Marble Falls, Texas.