A Portrait of Axel

We shall recall your exuberance when troubled,

so to summon the courage to endure.

For the grief we are subjected to can only be remedied by your presence.

The solidarity of our woe

proves the permanent bonds of friendship.

If you look down upon us now,

we stand under the torch of your undying essence,

The light that has accompanied us thus far,

and shall continue to do so.

Some faces to recognize

and others to commit to memory

all of whom share their love

in beholding your radiance.

In blackest smokestacks,

and towering industrial complexes,

in a tangled culmination of chain link and wire,

a sullen evader traverses the grounds of progress.

He speaks an uncanny truth that I have followed for many years.

And now I must make my own way.

I can finally see beyond my present grief

I make my way to embody thy image.

BY JOE NUNEZ