The Coward by Eve Merriam

You, weeping wide at war, weep with me now.

Cheating a little at peace, come near
And let us cheat together here.

Look at my guilt, mirror of my shame.
Deserter, I will not turn you in;
I am your trembling twin!

Afraid, our double knees lock in knocking fear;
Running from the guns we stumble upon each other.
Hide in my lap of terror: I am your mother.

-- Only we two, and yet our howling can
Encircle the world's end.
Frightened, you are my only friend.

And frightened, we are everyone.
Someone must make a stand.
Coward, take my coward's hand.

-- Eve Merriam (1916-1992)

No Emails This Morning

Sitting by myself... hitting refresh...
thinking that something might change.
It's seems like hours since she went away
and that cover is there on my head.

I need to look out but what will I see?
There's no message coming in...
"why do I let myself get this way?"
Try it again, maybe now, no not now.

She could have once said, "I love you"
and gone back to bed. Instead...
now I sit here and hit refresh
losing my heart and out of my head.

Josie Doesn't Have An Email Address

When I was a kid my mom never made a big deal about Mother's day. It was just another Sunday with a pot of gravy on the stove and my card on the table. From time to time I'd see her take a moment to read it again. It wasn't like Christmas tears to see her there. Her hugs were stronger and her words, "Every day is Mother's Day since I had you."... she'd say them in Italian and tell me that's what Grandma used to say to her. My Mom missed Grandma. That's where the Mother's Day tears came from. My Mom became a Grandma... I miss her too.

When He Loves

When a man is one,
he just lives for fun.
When he is two...
he lives for you.