After Marge Piercy’s When A Friend Dies When Your Lover Dies birds don’t come to the feeder travel brochures show you what will be left uncharted Nothing is earned by surviving but survival A famine depletes your will for a dime in the fountain A famine diminishes your hours a waiting fills your minutes and every customer at your table leaves you empty for his face When your lover dies sleepless nights are no longer sated mornings bring not hope but a reawakening of a reality that must be borne When your lover dies a touch is traded for a dream sleep prevails. The heart fastens. A fire is unleashed in your nightmares that the dawn refuses to quench At first consuming you Then inviting you to the feeders and the birds come back as memories and for a moment you escape into joy Lisa Albright Ratnavira 2-9-06