Endangered Species
After we watch a right whale—
perhaps for the last time—
flip and roll far beyond
Sandy Neck Beach, we meet
old friends who tell of a man
who told his girlfriend
with moving in plans:
“I’m a one and none kind of guy.”
I remember the man—
think Jack Sprat, his wife
who died, not lean, not mean,
very direct in managing their lives.
He doesn’t yield
even with a new woman—
a caring and attractive older kind.
He isn’t uneducated or filled
with remorse. He’s a man
traveling life without a guide
depending on family and friends
to fill the gaps, care for the dog,
remember things
he hasn’t in a long time.
Marc Swan's poems have recently been published or forthcoming in Windsor Review, Gargoyle, Clover, Concho River Review, Verse Daily, among others. today can take your breath away, his fourth collection, was published in 2018 by Sheila-na-gig Editions. He lives with his wife, Dd, in Portland Maine.