Love Is proof 6

and I was Catholic;
she was of Polish descent
and I was Italian;
she loved the North
and I preferred the warmth of the South;
and so we drifted apart
from the beauty of our friendship.
A few years later she married
and happily settled down
in a beautiful apartment
on North Lake Shore Drive
in Chicago,
while I married an Italian woman
who was Catholic
and we lived in Florida for two years
before our divorce.

x 89

I Never Thought I’d See Elaine Again

I never thought I’d see Elaine again
But there she was
In Flagstaff, Arizona, of all places
Standing
Waiting for a traffic light to change.
She would have seen me if it had not been

for the rain
She was older now
And so was I
For years had spanned our lives since

last we said goodbye
Forever.
Was this a time to speak?
Was there something to be said that wasn’t

said in all the years we loved?
Was this a time for pretense?
To say how well we’d fared since we had

gone our separate ways?
But we were never much for make-believe.

90 x

The light turned green
Before I could conceive another thought
And on towards me she walked
Through the crowd
The rain had mixed the tears upon my face
And I abruptly turned aside.
I felt her coat brush up against my arm as

she passed,
I turned and watched her walk away
Hurriedly
Like she used to walk towards me when we

were young.
I never thought I’d see Elaine again
But there she was.
She brushed against my arm when she passed

by,
Not seeing me.
But I wonder if she heard
My heart stand still.

x 91

A Bundle of Love To Someone

Love is defined as “a strong affection
or attachment or devotion to a person
or persons”

or
“A strong liking for or interest in
something; as, her love of acting”

and so
Much as I can love you, I can - - -

love that movie
love that book
love that city
love my garden
love that joke
and

92 x

love the color of that shirt
but

The everlasting love that makes the world
go round
is the love
that makes
me dream of you
my heart to beat
my arms to hold you
my wish to see you
and together
to sit upon a park bench
on a summer night
and watch the moon above.

x 93



Days

When you are not with me
The days are long
When you are with me
The days are not long enough

x 95



Love at First Sight

“Love at first sight”
I’ve heard it said many times.
A charming expression
of the desire to be together
without waiting
and without knowing or thinking
that love at first sight
bears all the risks
of the tomorrows yet to come -
risks that are ignored in the midst
of one’s
love at first sight.
Love should not leap to conclusions
from a glance of beauty
a melodic voice
the colors of a fitting dress
a choice of words well-spoken
and the sense
of a love at first sight
and the desire to be together
without waiting.
One should always pay attention
to the gift of life
the gift of love -
to allow love to gradually reappear
from time to time
to be observed
to provide the answer
to a life together
that has meaning ...
A love that will last forever

x 97

Love May Last - Perhaps

Love brings two together
Like a magnet drawn to each other
And there they remain
For more than a while
For years and more years
As the promise is
Until death do us part.
Yet, there are many courtrooms
Where promises
Are not remembered
And love is not the subject;
Rather, it’s the property that is
Seemingly more important,
As two people stare at one another
In anger, in distrust, in blaming,
Without remembering
Their vow, their promise
Until death do us part.

98 x

The arguing continues
As the judge listens to the anger
The blaming
The division of property
And the fighting over who gets
To keep the matching
Living room furniture
To be used in their
Forthcoming marriages
Their new marriages
Bearing the same promise
Until death do us part.
It seems that the marriage vow
Must be re-examined
Must be re-written
To offer flexibility in marriage
Because one can only die once.

x 99



And I Wonder

I talk to myself about you
And sleep and dream of you
I check my email hoping for a word
And I wonder
When shall I see you again.
Love occupies my very being
When I’m in places known to us
Places we have shared together
And I wonder
If you wonder just the same as I.
We live in different cities
Far from each other - too far away
Clearly, an impediment to love
And I wonder
Could love easily bridge the gap!
I am too old to dream, to hope
And time is left for younger men
That dare the miles that lead to you
And I wonder
Will love survive the days ahead.
Perhaps I should not talk to myself
Or sleep and dream of you
Or check my email hoping for a word
And I wonder
What is the best for love to do?

x 101



Echoes Of The Past

I cannot sleep without thoughts of you,
your whereabouts in places I am
not sure I know and was never told of
when you left me.
Love left behind does not erase the dreams of
yesterday the fond embraces and the promises of
everlasting love that didn’t last.
And now that time has passed and I am old and
wise, I understand that love has risks that break
promises made.
Yes! There are echoes of the past!
I cannot sleep without thoughts of you
your whereabouts
in places I am not sure I know and
was never told of
when you left me.

x 103

Cleveland Place

What am I doing at Cleveland Place sitting in
some saloon,

With a suit and a tie and a glass of beer, on
a hot summer afternoon?

Is that the reason? That the weather’s hot?
Or is it the girl with the saucy dress, and

a smile for everyone,
That keeps me coming to Cleveland Place when

days are lonely and done?
Or is it the drunks, the lovers of life, that

draw me nearer each day,
That light up the place with stories, picked

up along life’s way?
Poor rebels of life.
For with every beer, there’s a tear to hide,
Beyond every toast there’s a pain inside.
They’re all refugees like me.
We’re playing the game, whatever it is, and

the beer gets better each day,
And yesterday’s dreams, whatever they were,

in time disappear, they say.
The beer pushes time on its dreary way.
I’ve climbed mountains in Colorado, and I’ve

seen sunsets in Spokane,
I’ve walked the boulevards of France, there

wasn’t a happier man.

104 x

And I would have bet a million times over,
with odds in favor of you,

That I would never wind up in a pub or a joint
or a place like this, it’s true.

What am I doing at Cleveland Place sitting in
some saloon,

With a suit and a tie and a glass of beer, on
a hot summer afternoon?

Is that the reason? That the weather’s hot?
Or is it a girl in Oklahoma, the girl I love

so much,
With Italian eyes and olive skin, and lips

you’d love to touch?
I think of the kids that could have been mine,

Angela, Mike and Joe,
I think of the grief that I caused her, at the

time I didn’t know.
For I was young and the world was free, and

girls around were plenty,
The story’s old and has been retold, and my

thoughts aren’t worth a penny.
Yes, the story’s the same, whatever the game,

if you find a girl who is true,
Love her and keep her and never cheat her, make

every day shine through!
Bartender! Give me anther beer!

x 105

How Can Anyone Be Sure of Love?

There are as many
reasons
for love

As there are
sunsets
and
songs
illusions
and deceptions

And so it happens
That two people

fall in
love
almost
without effort
Like two magnets
drawn
together
To be partners
forever
and ever
for as long
as the sun
rises
and the sun
sets

106 x

To share dreams
together
forever
and ever
for as long
as the waters
of the
Mississippi
flow
on and on

And then, almost
without warning

Love may go astray
on lonely nights
with
wayward glances

Until two people
fall out of
love

Into the arms
of others
with
different
sunsets
and
songs
illusions
and deceptions

How can anyone be
sure
of love?

x 107



Seasonal Love

Sometimes the leaves of autumn
come too soon,
before the summer’s end,
like an impatient lover
Sometimes the leaves of autumn
stay too late,
reluctant to leave,
like an old lover
Sometimes an early snowstorm
blankets
the leaves of autumn
chasing away a lover
Meanwhile, spring awaits us
with fresh leaves
and renewed hope
for a steadfast love
that may survive
the seasons

x 109



The Measure of Love

Love cannot be measured
by the time I’ve known you
or by the time we spent together
in places far away
in plans we made
or by tomorrows yet to come.
Love cannot be measured
by the gifts we shared
on holidays and such
or by the distances I travelled
just to see you once again.
Love is not to be measured
for love is beyond measure.
Yes! It simply is!

x 111

Suzy’s Bar

Suzy’s Bar was the
mecca
For GI’s stationed
abroad
In the fifties
In Orleans,
France
Where drinks and
loose talk
were
the evening
menu
And they spent
their month’s
allowance
on cheap
wine
And a lady’s glance.

112 x

Suzy’s Bar was a
place
For soldiers without
a war
A place to toss away
the night
To exchange
loneliness
for
love
Because home was
far away
And the days were
wanting
In a world with
no guarantees
except
Another night at
Suzy’s Bar.

x 113

About The Author

Theodore A. Borrillo was
born in the Bronx, New York,
the younger of two children
born to Michele and Incoronata
Borrillo, immigrants from San
Marco dei Cavoti in the
Province of Benevento, Italy.
He is a graduate of the City
College of New York and St. John’s
University School of Law
(magna cum laude).
After his military service in Verdun, France and
Vicenza, Italy as a lst Lieutenant in the Judge
Advocate Corps, he returned to the Bronx. He then
enrolled in the Harvard Law School and received
a Master of Law Degree. Upon graduation, Mr.
Borrillo moved to Denver, Colorado.
Of all things and interests in life, poetry was one
of the closest ventures. While in the Army, he had
some of his poems published in The Stars and Stripes
newspaper that was circulated among military
personnel. In Italy, he contributed a poem each
month that appeared in a military booklet.
He continued his love of poetry by publishing
his first book of poems entitled Beyond Loneliness.
Following this publication were three other poetry
publications entitled Random Thoughts For Rainy
Days, In My Spare Time and Poems From A Bystander.

114 x

The book reviews were favorable and include some
of the following comments.

Borrillo’s poetry “reflects sensitivity, sentiment and
humor.” Bill Hosokawa, The Denver Post.

“The many details of Borrillo’s life as an attorney
and his sentimental, subtly humorous and wise
poems prove again that true poets don’t dwell in
ivory towers, but rather partake of life to its fullest
extent.” Nell Womack Evans, The Colorado Springs
Sun.

Borrillo’s poems “act as little hand mirrors. Reading
them, we look at ourselves and ask: Are we living
by what we believe?” Mary Frances Nevans, Denver
Catholic Register.

Borrillo is able to “capture a sight or sound, a smell
or feeling, and transform the experience into a shared
lesson or emotion.” Dennis J. Jacobson, Poet, author
of My Own Life.

w

x 115





LIovse Poetry by Theodore A. Borrillo

Among all the needs
of people,
the greatest is to
experience love,
to love, and to
be loved.

SAMPLE