Wondering and Cell

by Len Kuntz

Is it warm where you are

Is there fresh fruit and linen sheets

Do the mornings make you feel special

Like a princess

Who is the one who makes your tea now

Is he handsome and well-built

An athlete or scholar

Your best friend and secret-keeper

Does your laughter still shake the walls

And do you still mumble to yourself

When you’re nervous

Has my dog stopped missing me

Has the stain of my imprint worn off in the rain

Is there ever a time in the day

When you wonder how I’m doing

And if I think of you

You always claimed I asked too many questions

Do you still think so

Is it fair for you to go your own way

While I’m still tethered to the past

Like a junkyard dog

No longer angry

Just desperate and very

Very lonely

Cell by Len Kuntz

There is proof somewhere

That you once loved me--

Pawnshop ring for sale

Record of an unwanted fetus

Prom pictures with big 80’s hair

Blood on the sand

The surf coming in

Loud and violent.

But I’m doing all right now

The warden is friendly enough

And this cell’s going to keep

Me safe from you

For years