for Helen

Goodbye tough old lady

Sunrise
- for Helen, before her death

I hear you are dying.
It’s near sunrise.
I’ll drive to work, like any day.

It’s snowing
But the sun still shows through a break
In the clouds

It’s a wild snow
Racing like small white pigeons
Across the airport’s tarmac
I wish you could see it
I wish we could take you out
To sit in a lawn chair
And watch the snow over the airport
Like we watch fireworks each year

I only have the sound of my tires now
Steady over the white road
Splitting the snow coming to me
And the sun so bright for so much snow

Now the clouds fold over the sun
Then release it in time to my tire music

The snow across the light tarmac
To the east, with the sun
Spinning the planes and hangar dizzy
Suddenly up to the light poles
Back to the road

And then a bend
And the sun is behind a hill
The snow suspends, stops
Before the green of pines
Before I turn to my office
Park and go into work
But can’t work
Before the bright light of sun
And snow
And you