A Few Words about Nothing in Particular
Yesterday – first of July – Diana Spencer
Would have turned 52, for some
This is hard to remember now,
But she died in a car crash nearly
Sixteen years ago, and her sons,
Brother, philandering ex-husband – all
Left to grieve in their own ways, or not.
A cad has many faces, she knew – & that
Touching an AIDS patient, with genuine concern,
Offering empathy, might ease
The horror, the engulfing pain – & so taught others:
Why worry about catching something –
What’s a life for if not to help, bring a light
To the nastiness of land mines
Buried to kill – she thought this was better
Than lamenting about the hapless prince
Who once courted her, blah, blah, blah.
Money, castles, a limo for Your Highness everywhere –
These she enjoyed but set no stock by.
A light comes up, reveals a path unexpected,
But then goes dark without premonition.
Yet one remembers. She did not
Let regality douse her best torch.
July first – we can still see the flame, the light.
2013
James Naiden’s third novel, The Chafings of Mortals, was published in 2011. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota and is a regular reviewer for IS&T.