another night in this bed
William has passed
she said
calling him a name
he never used
the one he
came into the world with
a letterhead name
his father and father’s father
both bore
and failed to live by
what could I say next
to this well-meaning woman
her days filled with
speaking closed doors
to ears unready to hear
each crisp word
announcing an end to chances
I hung the phone
back in its cradle
testing the weight
of no more time
