the woodpecker’s left the garden
you miss its pecking the earth
leaving its mark all over-
in patches of presence
a child kissing your warm cheek
before leaving for school
the skin misses that one moment
filling your being
in completeness unmatched
the flowers wither
the vase sits empty
first on the counter
and then
you tuck it away at the back of a cupboard
where nanos
cutlery catches Times ticking away
wrapped in cotton and love-
memories and dreams
of a good life for the daughters
of the family
has the moon seen the sun-
met it in its circular continuum
maybe they do
when the sun sets
in its arms
and the moon
tears its way through
absences scattered across the room
youareclenchingtohold
the kiss fades
the longings stretch
the decisions change
the way you will wake
to an incessant alarm clock
5 sets of alarms
each marking the first time
you began waking
to digital good mornings
do you miss being woken
to the warmth of a slumbering
woman
lying half aware of your breadth
half of hers
sift the necessary from the urgent
file upon file
the buildings bursting at their seams
clocking progress with the precision
of the electoral incumbency
motive lost
mission accomplished
the green and the white flies
idly on the buildings
absences scattered over
dominions of vainglory
speckled blue on blue
days
stack
over
days
days
of
a
b
s
e
n
c
e
s
collateral damage
of wars that fought us
the
edge of graveyards breach
lives unloved
home interrupted
with a call to tell you
absence is permanent
~the topography of absences
2018