Eyes of Desire

Dying, she wants to preserve her beauty
in photographs. On this best of all possible
planets, beauty is expendable, like Long Island,
where she lives, where God brings down the wrath
we remember as Hurricane Sandy.

Those who lack mercy gaze on this young woman
whose beauty is not all you see. Above all is her desire
to love and feel and believe love returned.
She looks through her eyes, as though to say,
Citizens of planet Earth, please look through your own.

Beautiful women may lose hope knowing
beauty is admired only in digital images.
The most beautiful woman I loved and lost
was hooked on love in its synthetic form.
Her husband died, he was all she had . . .

The stupidity of the human beast
prevails. So far. Yet I have nothing but hope.
I like to smile and laugh. I may be a man but I cry,
and also weep. I don’t know why we hate.
In Florida, say, whites kill blacks and are celebrated.

(18-19, 24 July 2013)

copyright 2013 by Floyce Alexander