shy old brittle man where have you been these
last few weeks?
ah, the cold winter wind have kept you indoors i am sure.
away from our favorite park bench even the pigons have
have taken exception to the cold and have perched
with the blackbirds in the church tower.
but today,today
the warmth shall surely bring us together where i have
waited for nearly three weeks.
then as if i was some great
lookout i spotted him slowly,carefully descending the
seven steps from his door to the sidewalk.
watching him i
thought to myself how many times has his old legs carried
him down those all but crumbeling steps?
bundled in his
coat,scarf and hat which have more years then he cares
to remember he slowly begins his three block walk to meet
me. he will never look up to see if i am there_he knows.
today i notice his walk is not as brisk, nor as steady
as he sways from side to side. ocassionly he looks as if
he will just topple over and i am tempted to rush to his
side, but no, his resolve will prevail and he will make
that walk.
and i wonder if i will be able to carry
his burden when i reach his age?
almost completely
out of breath when he reaches me he can only nod
and sits in silence perhaps wondering how many more
times he can make this journey. he does not need to say
a word because just his presence will give this day purpose.
just his presence will give my life meaning and as long as he
sees the light in my eyes he will keep comming.
we will sit
for as long as this shy old man can endure and he will tell
stories of his past.it will not matter if i have heard the story
before or if he can not remember the ending or if the ending
changes. it is the way he tells the story----
always with affection