clover

one afternoon
soon after they met - that summer
on the beach - he eased the top of her
bathing suit aside to rub tanning oil
on her shoulders and found a small, leaf shaped
birthmark he considered very lucky.

shortened to ‘clo’ it became her love name;
kissing it, part of his acknowledgment,
the shoulder he always reached for.

the afternoon she died
he sat beside her in a great pool of loss
until the nurses gently guided his elbows
away for a cup of tea.
by the time he had finished she was already
in the calm, professional hands of others.

and although he willed it so, he never managed
to convince her to roll over
so he could kiss it one more time.


Oct. 9/02