Alpenglow

Past the orchard

before the sky turns

grey I ask myself

while I am driving

when will I see him

again and no answer

comes back either

from earth or heaven.

I see a path opening

through the trees with

light among the leaves

and I think of my brother

dispassionately the hint

of rain in the air and not

knowing, if ever, he'll

see me. I glimpsed a

door in the broadest

redwood tree and left

my car to pass through

it and follow the growing

alpenglow, finding a new

beginning where I am

alone.

The Last Time

The last time I saw

my brother his skin

was weathered and

old yet his healthy

smile was still there

and he shared some

pictures with me of

the family. One when

I was twelve, another

of my nephew when

he was thirteen while

we talked about our

deceased mother and

how cantankerous

she used to be.

Wishing we'd gotten

to know each other

better, all I have is

a blurry picture and

a memory knowing

too well he'll be gone

for a long time with

nowhere to find him

and left with no clue

except what my

niece knew of him.