Patriarch Patron

Patriarch Patron
By: James Dubeau

At the edge
Of the long
Wooden
Bar
He sits
Not an emotion shows
Upon his face
As music plays
And rowdy cheers
Float on by
His black suit
Masks his aging body
In dark shadows
His white beard
And head of hair
Seemingly float
A pocket watch
Glitters in the faint light
Silver chain
Reaches to his
Vest pocket
His eyes
Seem to study
The ticking hands
As I return
My attention
To my companions
He looks to me
A gleam in his eye
And then
He is
Gone

Then It Is Gone

Then It Is Gone
By James Dubeau

Once you have it
Tight in your hands
You can feel it
Hold it close
See it
Smell it
Taste it
But then it all changes
A slip
A fall
It crashes down
Leaving nothing behind
Only emptiness
And longing