The Ghost and Me
for Marcy Howard
A long, winding road, with no beginning and no end,
The final destination, a fate, you can not bend,
Will it be, a perfect road, you know, there’s no such thing,
Because, there always, is a cost, for the baggage that you bring.
As you walk, that lonely road, wondering, is there more,
Can there be, something better, on some distant shore,
Should you look around, pay attention, to what might be,
As anger confuses, the things, that you might see.
As you walk and ponder, the ghosts, of the past,
Can the heart remember, who stirred it, at last,
Can you forgive another, if you can’t, forgive yourself,
Or do you put the memories, on a long forgotten shelf.
The road is a foundation, something solid, beneath your feet,
And as the heart, trods slowly on, a ghost, you can’t defeat,
This journey, does not alter, the overwhelming fact,
That words, spoken in anger, can’t be taken back.
This road, has it’s obstacles, and sometimes, needs repair,
But lately, I’ve realized, a ghost, is always there,
For though, this heart, feels empty, it still, beats strong,
And this ghost, in my dreams, just has to come along,
As the footsteps, mark the time, my ghost, acquires a face,
Because she stirred emotion, that this journey, can’t erase,
An apology, can be given, but acceptance, is the foe,
For as my ghost, moves about, the heart, just can’t let go,
As I make this journey, I think of the words I’d say,
If this ghost, would talk to me, while plodding, on my way,
I can not change the facts, or any, of the words spoken,
And, there is, no way, to break, a heart, already broken.
As the wind, stirs the leaves, on this country road,
With each step, I may take, my ghost, may never know,
That, as I take, these steps, she travels, everywhere with me,
And no matter, what my path, in my heart, she’ll always be.
(2013)
