Perhaps it began a bit
off-kilter, for me especially,
seeing what I saw, standing
in the middle of the bridge,
(seeing both the
beginning
and the end)
and knowing,
somehow, that I had
an avenue of escape no
matter what might happen
.
Knowing I had the
advantage: it made more
sense to be me, not some
suave fictitious character- to be
truthful, understanding, and to
shun spinning a personality
that may seem appealing
in a grander scheme
of subterfuge, and
shrewd manipulation…
.
But all the woeful
shortfalls of faceless
friendship, coupled with an
innocent but benign effrontery,
painted a somber palette, and your
fawning disposition soon became
like rice paper beneath the
thundering feet of
stampeding elephants…. Then….
.
the house-of-cards fell,
and all the edges of theory
lessened, when you
opted to remain
defiantly concealed in
the shadows, amidst thorns
of saint-like sorrow, in a place
of colorless enigma, that soon began
to resemble an epigraph on a stone…

richard lloyd cederberg
2/2020

The Portrayal Series are Poetiprose insights concerning family and virtual acquaintances. They will address also some of the actors, artists, and musicians, I personally worked with in college, or professionally, in my 20’s - 40’s. All of these individuals were influential (in one way or another) in shaping the man I’ve become.                     Between the Cracks - A Monumental Journey Series