Goffy

they say that Goffy was buried in the hill, his last wish

before he dropped dead on a Wednesday in July

they say that the sea that day stopped for a few waves and that

a cormorant stretched out its wings across the sun

they say that the darkness felt kind and warm, as if 

the shadow was protecting them from something worse.

they say that Goffy had never loved another, that fear had

struck him dumb to such delights

they say that he kept books as if they were his precious pets

every page stroked by his smooth hands

they say that he took two bottles of port each day, yet no

voice had ever declared him drunk.

they say that Goffy was a good man, not through great deeds

just through the absence of mean ambition

they say that never had a man lived so long without staining

the ground that he had walked on

they say that he left so little trace on this planet that his name

was forgotten within a week.