A man leaves the world
And the streets he lived on
Grow a little shorter
One more window dark
In this city, the figs on his branches
Will soften for birds
If we stand quietly enough evenings
There grows a whole company of us
Standing quietly together
Overhead loud grackles are claiming their trees
And the sky which sews and sews, tirelessly sewing
Drops her purple hem
Each thing in its time, in its place
It would be nice to think the same about people
Some people do. They sleep completely
Waking refreshed. Others live in two worlds
The lost and remembered
They sleep twice, once for the one who is gone
Once for themselves. They dream thickly
Dream double, they wake from a dream
Into another one, they walk the short streets
Calling out names, and then they answer