Poem - A Poem for Robert

as a young go-getter
killing myself for a hi-tech firm
i boarded at his house
in the upstairs room

he wrote constantly
at the desk in the living room
his poetry and his habit
of writing was soothing

it was strange to drop by
years later in a driving rain
and see the house dark
with an empty front room

like me he had moved on
and left no forwarding address
because few cared or bothered
and i know how that feels

we think we know which way
the wind will blow
or how seasons roll out
inevitable change

or at least i thought i did
when i thought a lot
with one opened beer after another
watching him from the kitchen

i remember a mellow light
surrounding me as i washed
my mismatched dishes
as his typewriter punched the page

and later as a drunk
that kind of light eluded me
though the dishes matched
in a distant perfect house

(To hear the audio recording of this poem, click here.)