He stands on the suspension bridge    
Poured from a mixed cocktail of stone    wrought iron cables
In a manic rage    the wind howls against a cold, grated steel deck
Beneath the deck’s open mesh
The river waltzes with its lover of the night   heavy fog
Two stone towers—massive—carry the weight of the bridge
 
Below the bridge   
An antiquated town    Victorian brick buildings
Slumbers     eyes woven shut when  
A two-faced mechanical clock with weights
Hunter green      cast iron base 
Seated on Main and Market streets
Lifts its arms at midnight       

The streetlights cast an amber glow   lonely
On the pavement    wet with fog
Earlier that afternoon
He sat outdoors at the pub   under a patio umbrella
Tippling vodka       neat  

The night’s air     bites
Dark like the bridge’s brown and tan stone   towers
The stars         Sirius and Vega
Decline the sky’s invitation to
To join her for the evening  

The  hands on the two-faced clock
Sway to the right  
Fog retreats
The sun settles into the day
Glistening upon the water
Only the river knows why it convulsed last night  

For now  

______________________________  
June is recognized as Men’s Health Month, and mental health is an important component of one’s overall health and wellness. I wrote this poem in memory of two men who were social media influencers and died by suicide this month. If you are suffering from depression or any mental illness, please text or call 988 for help. Your life matters.