For Howard
You were out of town
for the smashing surprise:
my head’s heavy disguise
in a Pulitzer crown.
The massed flowers that poured in
spread a grave undertaking
on the word-wrestling ring
that my room’s always been.
Well, why not? After all,
life’s long contest, for us,
has turned strained, serious.
Close and closer the call.
On Olympus Art’s mother
Keeps her pet, place and show
hard to judge as a star,
but here, loving each other,
it’s easy to know
who the real winners are.
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