Farewell
This wine holds the color
left in the earth
by soldiers’ hearts.
The candle burns.
I have nothing else to declare tonight.
Only me, the night,
and the other two in the photograph
beside me—
gone now.
_____________
Peycho Kanev
Review by Dave Mehler
The brevity, the archetypal elements of night, a photo of the dead, the candle as a symbol of the brevity of life, and the soul (nothing but a burning light), the wine as blood, the dirt. Even the declaration that there is nothing more to declare. It’s a masterful elegy/lament packing a powerful punch, and a prayer. I feel wordy speaking this.
Review by David A. Goodrum
A wonderful poem about outliving those who, in earlier battles, we survived with.