“Death of Barbara Radziwill” (detail), oil on canvas, by Jozef Simmler, 1860.

by Peter J. Dudley

Another email
shorter than the last
an alphabet strewn
in bits and batches
letters disordered
words mutated

the white space

like gasps

the chemo has burned out
and hospice watches
with tender eyes
and when all the words
drip down the screen
and an evening breeze
lifts mourning dove song
through my open window,
I hear her whispering
from miles away,
“I am so tired.”

omega man

An engineer by education, a nonprofit fundraiser by profession, and a writer at heart, Peter’s career has taken him from aerospace to dot-coms to corporate responsibility to nonprofits. Along the way, he’s published four novels and a number of other works, raised two kids, brewed some beer, and tore his ACL playing soccer—twice. As the father of a transgender woman, Peter is a vocal ally and advocate for equality in all its dimensions. Find him online at peterdudley.com.