As the sun sets over the bleak cemetery
One of its rays rests upon an old man
Slumped on a park bench
The octogenarian nods in response to the sunbeam’s gentle nudge
And blows a kiss full of loneliness and longing
Toward a lichen-festooned headstone
He wipes an errant tear from one eye
As, with a grunt, he slowly hoists his complaining bones
Into a reasonably upright position
Coaxing his walker ahead of him
He reluctantly inches away from the gravestone
He finds comfort in the knowledge
That he will return tomorrow
And every day thereafter
Until he comes to rest there forever
Beside his beloved
Lorri Ventura is a retired special education administrator living in Massachusetts. Her debut poetry collection, Shifting the Mind's Eye, was published in 2024.
Love this!
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