Sad Endings

There are many,
the threads of a public life
always unravelling
into more sadness.

We read of so and so
and his ending
her dire departing.

The sadness is a gesture,
an acknowledgement
that we knew all along.

Last days
withdraw into a quiescence,
a sequestering of parables
within a closed room.

A meddling hearsay awakens
a salacious interest;
columns of gossip
followed by
a tell-tale unearthed.
One more pinch of sadness
investigated, exposed.
The tarnish remains the sadness.

An extraordinary life
left broken by the ransacking,
the endless peeping
of post-obituary years.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2023

Poem

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