I am thinking
a poem can save love
a poem can save a life

I open the book
I close the book

the man across the hall
is crying out blue words

I do not speak his language

knotted words are
tightening in his chest

what keeps the
secret of a heart

a poem
a song
a picture
folded in a well-worn wallet

who are these women
and what do they mean to him

I open the book
I close the book

not even love can save a life