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hair of the dog

it was springtime
early morning
much too early to remember
the count was five
when the church bells
sounded
he was alive
you were sleeping
soundly
as if peaceful lips
had kissed you
softly goodnight
sweet dreams
he turned on Sonrisas
only he wasn't smiling
machismo allowed him
his silent valediction
muffled and fleeting
it didn't wake you
the gleam in your eye
went with it
buried deep
a treasured sapphire
and next to it
an aster
that's how i found it
years later
when i walked past you
a stranger
not knowing
in your eyes
i saw freedom
dancing about
and its partner
pleasure
was there too
the tune was unfamiliar
but it had a nice rhythm
it smelled of canyons
deep
and wreaked forgiveness
on the surface
but within the boundaries
i found sorrow
as did your father
in a bottle marked joy
and with each swallow
the pain bubbled over
like laughter
his regrets buried deep
like the jewel he created
only you were chiseled
the smell of whiskey
sweetened his kisses
and disguised
the rotten corpse
he had become
too dead to see
beneath the surface

Copyright © 2002 by Shannon Gleeson