Written in Autumn / Empty as Your Abandoned Heart by Richard LeDue

 Written In Autumn

They want another love poem,

something about roses in spring

or summer, but never in winter,

when leafless branches dance

in cold wind, like skeletons

in grainy black and white cartoons,

and fingers are patient as earthworms,

digging into solitude 

to find the kind of touch 

that turns pages red from paper cuts, 

but never passion,

while we lie to ourselves about our loneliness

being watered from being too scared

to look at the blue eyes, 

who saw the dirt beneath our fingernails, 

and still smiled. 

Empty as Your Abandoned Heart

A stranger nonchalantly tries the front door,

knob cold against a hand

that doesn't worry about wearing a glove

or the last sounds a lock makes

before it dies.

The family photos left to dust, and no one

argues over belongings or who gets the house-

the retirement you bragged about

murdered by the silence that inherited your home,

just like you killed hours with outdated sitcoms,

but at least you made sure to make your bed

on the last day of your life.

And the dresser drawers are dumped

first, looking for money, jewelry,

anything unwanted of value, 

while the closets are full of clothes

that'll never be filled again.

Richard LeDue (he/him) currently lives in Norway House, Manitoba. He is a Best of the Net nominee. His first chapbook was released in 2020, and a second chapbook in 2021. As well, his third chapbook, “The Kind of Noise Worth Writing Down,” was released in October 2021 from Kelsay Books.