Confused and Sad

blurred eyes
he walked to the end
of the street

barely remembering
where he is and
when he needs to
meet her

he sits on the bench
with a schedule in his
starched pocket
smoking a cigar
and gazing through
amber tint

buses come and go
the sun drifts behind
that hill and he squints
his worn schedule
confuses him

fountain pen
pencil marks
scratches and tape
keep his day together

she explodes
into his broken
mind
her bright blue eyes
and searing red lips

that summer on the lake
when she taught him
how to swim
and not be afraid

that humid night
when they
held their
bodies close

a family of five
she died
and he was alone
in a home
of forgotten heroes

he kept her close
that shawl on that one
night when they
were animals

he wears her
jasmine pin
and smells it
when he can’t
remember