The Lead Story - Sept. 5, 2021

I noticed today

how I like to get

comfy on the couch

feet up get that

first sip’s steamy

bath to my glasses

before I dive into the

first obituary

a full life lived

in two thin columns

of a small-town newspaper

buried in its third section

how is that not front-page news?

when a distinct brushstroke is erased

from an unfinished masterpiece

or another unique character with

matchless talents is lost forever

at the very least

it’s one more love story

spoken

in a fading whisper