the world goes on

a long stem daisy

bows to the weight of the rain
next to it stands a sturdy lily
the daisy leans against it
the lily doesn’t mind

an indigent lies on the sidewalk

next to him a mutt of many breeds  
does not bemoan the place or space
he shares, unconditionally, with his friend
watching people just walk by, happenstance 
that's why there they lie but not alone

a child seen running down a dirt street

flailing her arms in screams of cry
cloths torn and, charred, skin burned
behind her parents lie face down
amidst the remnants where but this 
morn they sat together eating morsels

in the fields the rain has ceased

the daisy now stands erect trying to
reach for the sun, the sturdy lily and
its purple peddles praise the sky as
the wind sways them to and fro
this is how the day will go 

you and me

when i asked if you would kiss me

it was not upon my brow or cheek
but on my lips where i am most
sensitive and where that kiss belongs
of you and me

when i asked if you loved me

it was not about how i walked
or ran or how i looked when clean
and groomed but of the heart belonging
of you and me

and when i asked of when i’m gone

will you in spirit hold my hand and kiss
my picture on your mantle, will you
remember that warm embrace
of you and me