I remember
Before being married
My writing was
Effortless breathing

Through words which
Expressed each failure
As some vital air
For this soul –

An easy quirk –

Self-indulgent,

Though absurdly real
Without pretense

Felt prior to love
That escaped me
Giving reasons
Now understood.

Bare beauty corrupts
Every vessel
Once finding faith
In its sinking,

Still wishing
How bottoms of oceans
Would welcome ghosts
Seeking home –

Death’s dim abyss
Holding gems

Or secret ships
Buried deeply

Beneath what sand
Conceals treasures
Only words can tell
Getting drowned.

Her face
Is sun at fear’s surface –

Such presence
These moments worth staying,

But sadder songs
Exist always
Upon those seas
Where we float.

Happy endings
May often endure,

Though stifled lines
Become dangerous

If asking dreams
Why they bother
After stars themselves
Appear lost.

Our nearest night
Remains dark
Despite lighted paths
Over currents,

Reminding us
Poems will navigate
Fate’s charted course
Even more.

Forgive old needs
Begging hurt,

Like pirates scarred
Braving weather –

Never questioning
Miracles answered,

Just believing
Phrases persist.

• J. Pigno