friends


the man
and the house
were both so old
nobody was sure anymore
which one
was holding the other one
up/
time
and disease
had eaten both to the bone
one bleeding paint
the other spirit/
nonetheless
they stood for a time
against time


what bothers 
me
is the man's death/
he died
in his sleep
very peaceful they said
just closed his eyes
and went to sleep
and never knew
what hit him/
but how could they
know
what happens
between friends


I think
death
was no stranger
there/
not welcome
but a frequent caller
perhaps put up
in a spare room
on occasion/
and when it came
for him
i think
the man cried out
and the house
rattled down dust
in protest


© ingrid havens-trinka
First Place Free Verse Poetry Kansas Authors' Contest 1991

at the clinic

the keeper

of the blood and white colored sheets

quickly exchanges one for another;

life and death are on the line

those present are required

to write an essay

in twenty five words or less

justifying

all this dying

saline laps at the mouths

of those yet unborn

unsuspecting, they open wide

embryo memories churn through

the spin cycle and on out the drain

and the keeper

of the blood and white colored sheets

simply says 'next'.

© ingrid havens-trinka
First Place Free Verse Poetry Kansas Authors' Contest 1989