His careless hair and weathered shoes
complicated his otherwise fancy dress.
Never had I seen such distance,
concentrated in a single face.
Nor had I ever seen all the heartache
of humanity hanging
upon a single sleeve.
Modest words of depth
and understanding
spilled from his thin, nervous frame.
“She had been sick
and it was expected. But,
it’s always a surprise when it happens”.
An overheard description of death
has never brought me such love.