She had been watching the miniscule
Rise and fall of his clavicle for hours
And when it stilled long, she knew life had left him
She who had solitarily cared for them all
During her lifetime in this one lone place
With good grace for each of them
He who had left her once long ago
Now bedridden after a slow decline
Surrounded by earthly presences
On this night lying under the Milky Way
Smelling the nearby sea
Only sound the Earth’s moan
She with a light kiss and a goodbye soft and low
He bound for some Cosmic Home
The souls of ancestors all aglow
Oh, when death comes to our doorstep
May it be as natural as caring and goodbye
And as fulfilling as a knowing kiss forever
This poem is inspired by my reading of Annie Dillard’s
novel “Maytree”
Herb Stone ©
here&now working poetry
May 2019