The Self Within Myself Poem by RIC BASTASA

the most terrifying part of course
was when they all left the hall,

a friend with his wife carrying their
son,
another friend who just got married
and intimate with his wife,
and some people whom i cannot remember
anymore
perhaps those who serve the food
and drinks
and those who clean the mess
after that
early dinner

the silence is catacomb-like
i can hear the wind
i begin to notice the leaves of summer
falling from the branches of
brown trees,

it is as though the funeral is over
and what is left is just the silence
of the dead

i take a deep breath and then another
i do not want to leave yet
i want to check what happens next

i am trying to find out if i still live
within myself and if we can still talk
as friends
when the rest of who came hereleave
or when all of them
are dead too....