Friday, August 14, 2015

Dirge for Two Men

Oct 4th 2009

Two men down in one week
One of them a Titanic, one of them a Champion.

I listen to the wife of either one, listening to her side of this story, 
Her fears, her wounds, her bids for happiness.

They are different men
Each brought down by an opponent
A stealthy opponent
Over which we had no control.

When two lives join, there is never a cloud in their future
But as the years go on, their opponents show forth.

And in one case, the rift began and widened
Until it tore apart two lovers
Until it left them bankrupt and sorry

And in the other case, the weld held
And the love was strong to the end

Which was the worst disaster?

Best friends spoke of times gone by 
We saw the pictures and laughed at the stories
Each man’s life through the heart of another tear stained soul.
And I wondered long
At the love, at the pain of sudden death or
At the pain of death long expected 
At the pain of lives ended too soon
Too soon
Stolen, from their children and grandchildren,
From their wives, who labored

We are now single women, 
Widowed, divorced, processing, 
Single now and older, vulnerable,
With a history that matters to us
Whether it is treasured or conflicted.

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