i wrote this in 1962, right after i received a letter that revealed my relationship with a beautiful young woman from Cleveland, Ohio, whom i had met while she was visiting relatives in Lebanon, Tennessee, was over. Her name was Gay. i find it interesting that i used a ship at sea to describe my feelings. i did not go to sea on a ship until the next summer.

i stood on the old bridge,
leaning forward against the rail,
a tear traced its lonely way
down my cheek;
the wind whisked the tear away;
the pebble i dropped into
the deep water below
shattered the moonlight
into a thousand pieces of ripples;

i remembered;
another tear began its futile journey
against the wind

i remembered her:
soft lips, soft like the moon’s shattered reflection,
tender touch, tender as the wind carrying tears away;
gone
but
she would be back;
after all she had promised;
everything was quiet;
i waited.

Note: she never came back.