Inside A Nocturne Poem by Alex Roth

all heartache is bled to the key of E-
minor setbacks and failures fall into the depths
of conversations and foxhole prayers
unanswered letters to God
yellow and age like news-
papers with bold black head-
lines announcing another triumph
or tragedy (confetti

or black veils) the fog lifts
as the funeral procession drifts
toward the silence of the cemetery…

etched epitaphs erode
as priests pronounce a psalm
and loved ones utter an ode…

…blustery winds of frigid nights darken
the mood shifting into sullen piano notes…