For a woman I loved  

If you were with me as darkness falls,
I’d show you dark clouds toward he hills
above Lake Cumberland
and a full moon after rain.

Instead, as darkness falls,
I’d teach you how a Whippoorwill’s
song echoes across the land
like the far off whistle of a train.

I imagine you would roll your green eyes,
and then you would apologize
like you did in Paris, France
when you asked another man to dance.

Afterwards, you told me to
go write poetry. We never met again.
If you were here with me as darkness falls,
in rain I would read these words to you,

woman I loved
though loving hurt.