Patience, Mercy, and Music By Manny Grimaldi

She loved to hum jazzy standards, 

and Something About Us

while looking at me. I was 

the color of blushing wine,

always so intoxicated, it wore on her 

as she did everything for us.

Christmas, she put 

crimson ornaments on our bedroom tree, 

and I had eaten six odorless tablets 

so as not to attract

attention, but she knew. Why?  

was the look in the pages of her face, 

dog-eared and bookmarked for future reference: 

This is the journal of my life, be sure 

there is more to say than this.

Manny Grimaldi believes inhaling Big Leafy Frond-sourced oxygen is good for the pancreas and can cure a variety of diseases of the spleen. He grows the real shit deep forest way, Kentucky. Watch for trip-wires and shotguns. The real story is at https://mannygrimaldi.mypixieset.com. His books include Riding Shotgun with the Mothman and ex libris Ioannes Cerva, soon to be followed by Finding a Word to Describe You with Whiskey City Press.