In Vino Veritas and Other Poems

By Joseph T. Moran, J.D.

In Vino Veritas

I know the saying,
“In wine, there is truth.”
But I’ve only Scotch.
So, I guess, it’ll be the truth ... and then some. 

Under the Weeping Sky

Drenched, shivering, alone; but still I can’t leave.
I rub my fingers together . . . they feel nothing. 
How lucky they are.

You always loved the rain. 
Water falls endlessly . . . pitter-pattering across my saturated, black coat,
While small puddles slowly seep into the ground around your headstone. 

Is the world weeping with me?
Do frigid rains leave the sky hollow inside?
Do they numb the ground beneath my feet?

I wonder, and my mind drifts away.
I imagine the rains are not a showering despair,
But a luminous, enveloping current.

I envision the glowing waters cascading, full of life. 
Rushing your warmth and passion through rocks and sands far below. 
On a prolonged journey back to the surface.

Maybe the waters could reach the tropical shores where we married. 
And flow through great heartland rivers we’ve crossed,
Or, perhaps, fall gently upon our home.

Yes, I think the waters shall reunite us.
I will go and listen for your tapping upon our roof.
And, once more, sleep soundly, in your embrace.

The Windy City

I navigate between hurrying outfits and business attire,
While exhaust fumes from transient vehicles
Mingle with a chemical stench from my dry-cleaned suit. 

I dodge hordes of sauntering pigeons
As overripe trash and bodily odors waft from alleyways.
My wingtips traverse worn concrete paths. 

Abruptly, I am breathless . . . choking rushing winds.
I gasp unfamiliar air . . . as the ‘L’ rumbles by.
The lake douses me with crisp, clean gales. 

The fresh air is as effervescent as a blossoming meadow,
As intoxicating as sultry perfume,
And as jarring as the quaking of the earth. 

In the stillness . . . the train above is a soothing hum. 
The streets and alleys are gone, and my pathway is clear. 
In the distance, I see the tops of full sails on the lake. 

Gusts rush beneath the feathered wings of city doves.
Carrying them high above . . . my gaze follows fiercely,
And my dreams soar closely behind. 

Joseph T. Moran, J.D. is a trial attorney and creative writer having published both legal and creative works. His legal works have been featured in the Illinois State Bar Journal and his creative works in publications such as Aphelion, Noctivagant Press, 365 tomorrows, and Academy of the Heart and Mind. (Some works penned as Javen J.) As a creative writer, he often utilizes poetry and fiction to portray issues of human nature and morality.