Haunted Melody

basketballs bounce out of tune

the streets are empty & the moon

has shone on Mrs. Porter

& her daughter’s soda water ‘till they swoon

golden evenings pass me by

beneath a dream of darker eyes

& empty on a southbound train

through Battersea in glowing rain

I ride

oh the music is so loud

enchanting all the faltering crowd

to sing again their lonely melody

my heart is yours & I love you

you keep my mind as well

& sometimes here when I touch you

it’s heaven & it’s

so the years have passed me by

the library’s shelves refract the light

& black & white will not make clear

the seasons & the reasons & my fear