The Last Time

The last time I heard her speak

She was sure of her words

"Tell my children I love them

You, my husband, already know"

The last time I saw her walk

She spun on her heel

Giving me a glimpse of what first attracted me

And what kept me under her spell

The last time we ate dinner

I gave her the night off

Her favorite was eggplant parmigiana

The fine wine, I chose, covered for my cooking errors

The last time we said good night

I dreamt of our future together

Awashed in laughter and love

Void of pain and sorrow

The last time I saw you

Before they closed the coffin

I recited our wedding vows

Knowing we would (someday) meet again

When I last came to Gasworth

When I last came to Gasworth

In the middle of last May

I spied a lass who spied me

Going on her way

Her flaxen hair was neither sandy

Nor impertinently unkept

It mirrored the afternoon Sun

Perfectly brushed and perfectly swept

She introduced herself as Millicent

And I as Thomas Marlay

I inquired as to her destination

On this magnificent day

I might travel where thou dost go

If ye go with me

I have need for secure passage

To remain young and free

So I turned as she turned

Toward the setting Sun

Twas not the destination I would choose

But the choosing was not yet done

I learned of her past

I learned of her dreams

I learned of who would ruin both

I learned of their schemes

A single girl away from home

Makes an easy mark

But a married woman with her beau

Emits ideas that spark

I didn’t require more lecturing,

Reasoning, or the lot

Her dowry consisted of a single pledge

She gave as good as she got

Next year, I sojourned to Gasworth

In a carriage built for three

A Lord, his Lady,

And a daughter as a family

Tell Me What You Get When You Get What You Got

The genie waited for my reply. I had one wish remaining.

I used the first wish to wish for ten billion dollars. The genie said, “Granted.” He then explained the collective wealth, as quantitatively defined on paper, was in excess of the amount I wished for.

“So I do not get the money?” I inquired, already foreseeing the answer.

“You did not indicate in your wish that the money was to be for you. You only wished for it to be.”

I have a smart ash genie on my hands.

“OK then (I inquired tepidly), I wish to own all of New York City, my home town.”

“Granted.” It was all he had to say. In retrospect, I wish he had not.

In an instant, I was whisked away to the New York City criminal court of Lower Manhattan to be arraigned by the judge (the genie) on the charges of tax evasion for all of the properties in my name. “How do you plead to these 2.7 million counts?”

Ok, I understand.

Time for the third wish.

For this one, I thought long and hard. I wanted something the genie could neither pervert nor distort. I wanted something unexpected.

And I told him so.

“I wish for . . “

And I did not finish.

The genie waited for me to finish. I waited for him to wait for me.

It’s not that I chose not to choose, for he would interpret that as a wish.

Perhaps, I wanted a stalemate. Perhaps, I wanted something more.

But what I got was not what I (originally) wanted, but it was more than I deserved.

The genie still waits to this day for closure.

Perhaps that is the best wish of all.

An Elliptical Coulisse

My world ends as it has begun

I am now from whence I set forth

Hence, I am home

And yet, I am not

I am eccentric

My path has eccentricity

Both are mathematically formulaic

Only mine is problematic

I slip into a dream of Montenegro

Where both reader and non-reader only converse in French

Comment puis-je le savoir?

Je suis excentrique. Il n’est pas nécessaire de l’expliquer.

My friend says I am being tongue and cheeky

I prefer the sobriquet, tongue and groovy

He explains, that either way

I am not in control of my destiny

And, as if I was embarking

On a journey to locate the “Second Foundation”,

I shall discover that which remains hidden

Hindering prying eyes designed to hinder all they spy

Thus, my world ends as it has begun

I am now from whence I set forth

Did I actually venture?

Or was I only along for the ride?