by Thomas Conley

the cemetery is a grand garden
to walk in    she says
all the flowers    arranged then changed
stories told by names
on headstones and vaults
with marbled cherubim
her fingers trace the corners curves
and wings
she loves
the west wind
rainy mornings a dramatic touch
the rose colored stone for the twins
died age four    is her favorite
love is inseparable    she says
i tell her    she loves the
dead
more than the living
she does not turn
to answer    i hear her from the west
i love    you
 
 
 

Thomas Conley started writing at age 46. In the third week of his first workshop, the other writers were betting he would never write anything but he did: poetry—the form of writing he disliked most. Tommy thought his poems would be romantic and humorous. He has been thankfully writing “in the dark” ever since. When he’s not writing, he’s restoring Vintage British Motorcycles.