Long Rule

what was the rule
that kept him going
long after wind had relented
long after it stopped

what was the time
he ignored and decided not to reply
between hours or minutes —
seconds it took to act then be gone

what was the honor
he crippled by refusing
what did he think he was
a worthwhile mind in service to a slave

instead he chose to honor
a lifetime’s regression to his moment
in the sun or a shady moment
in someone else’s sun

behind it lay peace
behind lay forgetting
his own lapse toward forgetful
a shrugging off then a release