Invisible To All But Himself(For Lyn) Poem by Dónall Dempsey

The dead man
had in his pocket

a theatre
ticket stub

to the last night
of the play

a single
train ticket

some loose change
that didn’t amount to

much

the beginning of a poem

merely an unintelligible
scribble

little scrap of
Love

a precious
kiss

(invisible to all
but himself)

on his right cheek

that had never faded
but blossomed anew

each time he thought
about it

on his lips
was a name


that remained with him
always

& clutched
in his right hand

the memory of that kiss
that could never be

...forgot...

his heart
a prayer

reaching toward her

The ambulance man
saw

none of this
only that

there was nothing
they could do

to help
him now.

simple act
of hit & run

never even knew
he was dead

...what hit him.