Closure

Closure
by Vivian Gilbert Zabel

The young boy’s eyes sparkled
As he spied the golden curls
Peeking from under her winter cap.
Since an eight-year-old isn’t poetic,
He packed snow into a ball
And threw with all his might,
Knocking the hat from her head.
Imagine his surprise as she whirled
And returned fire, hitting his chest,
Where love for her bloomed.

Over the years, fast friends
They became as they skipped
Hand in hand through school.
His junior prom, she was his date,
As was he for hers the next.
After he left for college,
Letters, like winged flames,
Flew from him to her each week.
The summer became a time of joy
As they rebuilt their love again.

In fall, they had to part once more,
He back to the next level;
She, to the college in town.
Once full of love and laughter,
Messages from her came
Slower and shorter each time.
Soon, by Christmas, they stopped.
By end of semester, he heard
She gave her love to another.
His heart turned to stone.

Years passed, he earned a fortune,
But he never had a family.
At last the loner returned home
To find his lost love not only
Another’s wife, but a mother.
He stood in the background,
Knowing her husband could be ruined.
He had the means; he had the hate.
Then he saw her face in his mind
And packed the hate away.

He died the other day,
A driver didn’t pause or stop.
Many attended the funeral
With one woman at the back.
Tears pooled and spilled
Before she wiped her face,
Turned, and slipped away.
Only later did she know
He left her not only his heart
But everything he had.

Unknown to her, he had been more,
Her Sir Galahad: Although he wore
A tarnished, rusted suit of armor.