How calm and renewed he seems.
A [smooth-soul] speaking sincere Words;
Words conveying brokenness; Words
Imbued with the same kind of
Equanimity a warrior has
Under pressure of
Engagement;
Words
That instance
The rummy soulfulness
Of one inclined [now] to accept
The gifts God bestows other humans
Without lessening, or vilifying them…
.
And ohhhhhh my
How his Words reflect
The honeyed rejoicing
Of someone
Embracing others, now,
With an open inclination to accept
All that would’ve railed once against
An inherent haughtiness…
.
Despite what it seems, sadly,
I can’t help but sense his Words
Being a bitty-bit wobbly,
Like a sailing vessel
Yawing to port,
Seeking an even keel… Still, strangely,
The sincere way he’s speaking
Leaves me sensing he’s
Not the prick
He became years ago;
Irascible, devious, torturing
Everyone with spiteful arrogance;
The self-centered manipulator who would
Do anything to get the upper-hand,
And whose jealousy,
Of another’s endowments,
Was a foul stench to all involved…
.
Even now, as he’s talking,
Acidulous bits of his black-iceberg
Still float in my lakes and down my rivers,
And I can’t help but expect that just
Around the next corner
That cold uncaring façade
Will appear and asphyxiate me…
.
I wonder; is this
[New person] real,
Or is he still pretending
To be someone he’s not, so no one
Will see the burner of SO MANY bridges?
As it is, now, and being a bit shocked
I would even consider it,
Despite all
Fears and biases,
I’ve decided to gingerly
Take hold of the Olive Branch
He’s proffering… and even though
Most in me is screaming
STOP! –
He’s a liar,
A manipulator,
Guard your heart –
I’ll remain amenable as
Time perfectly establishes that
What seems to be transpiring isn’t
Just another of his deplorable agendas…
.
Right up in my face now,
Manifested from a troubled past,
Stands a personality I’ve not known…
If anything good is going to come of this,
We’ll both need to restore the bridge
That once connected us...
.
richard lloyd cederberg
2018
.
The ‘Portrayal’ series will be brief poetiprose insights (good and bad) about family members and a few friends I grew up with. They will also portray some of the actors, artists, musicians, and writers I worked with in college, or professionally, in my 20’s 30’s and 40's. All of these individuals were instrumental in shaping the man I am today.
.

                 richardlloydcederberg.com