(II)

Dispossession

The character of a man was his desire,
Sturdy and tough and timeless as an oak,
A brain of ice commanding a heart of fire,
After a life or nine it looked a joke.

Loudly he laughed with a lurch of laughter
Smiling naively he forgot to frown
Within thin clothing as the year ran colder.
In a lake of peace I watched him drown.