A LIVING ANGEL AWAKENS ME

A Tanzanian health aid,

who sings when she talks

and dances when she walks,

diapers my friend who can

no longer swallow food

without a feeding tube.

My paralyzed 86-year-old pal

responds with a twisted smile.

Walking home, wondered

if there was a hole in my soul.

I threw away my hat and tie,

humming a song I hadn’t heard

since I blew my horn years ago

playing My Funny Valentine.

My body reached for naked air

filled with flocks of singing birds

I had never seen.