The Barber... The Lover...
— a poem by Greg Moglia

My barber Dominick Hello Professor, how are you?, then quick to the cut
All the years mostly in silence - the task completed with a quiet warmth 
But today as he masters my thinned tresses he works with deep labored breaths
When he finishes with the old single-edged razor he adds

After you, I go home, have a bowl of pasta, glass of wine
My birthday next week…Ninety-one
I smile Terrific and still going on
Shakes his head Yes…a weary yes

I decide right then to stop at the liquor store next door
Come back to the shop with a bottle of chianti and Happy Birthday
Me, a man who loves to be loved and that's what I get
In a glow Dominick clasps my hand says When I have a glass I will toast to you

Later, I think of Sue and her struggle with cancer
And that some words have been kept away
How our love instead has filled the air around us
With a silence that says so much

Until on the restaurant bar stools her one quick Love you
And this man who loves to be loved slips into knowing
 There…right there… Dominick…Sue…and me
A touch from a share of uncertain times
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Greg Moglia's work has appeared in over 100 journals in the U.S., Canada and England as well as five poetry anthologies.