Left Hand Man

He was only 22, but for many of those who knew him it was no surprise that his life came to an early end.  Just days before his death, the two of us sat beneath a sky as dark as any I have ever seen.  There was no moon and there were no stars.  It was here that he wrote his first and only poem.  The writing was hardly legible when brought into the light, but he made it crystal clear that he thought of himself as the Devil's left hand man.  When I heard the news that he left us, I wasn't surprised.  Ultimately, when faced with the complexities that define life, he simply walked away.

morning sunlight —
an unfinished game
still on the chessboard