There will be no more.
A silent emptiness echoes
On the porch down the street.
People will pass by and nod,
Unconsciously glance to their left
Start the smile that says
Hello…or bonjour…and they’ll know
That something…someone is
Missing…his bench is
Vacant.
It’s almost as if
The whole house fell down
Overnight.
It’s something more than gone.
It was the second lightning storm
In his brain…caught him sitting
In his chair…at home.
A few more days he waited
In darkness…speechless
for the sound of angel wings
to take his soul away.
I would sit out on my balcony
Look over to his front porch
And he would look up and we would wave
And nod and settle accounts with the street.
Sometimes we’d talk…inside my head
Always short and sometimes funny
Often wise…or maybe silly.
This what I think he’d say
About the weather…
“Can’t do anything…only talk about it…”
Twenty below
In a foot of snow
That was exactly what he said.
He was born on this street
In that house…they say.
I don’t know if he ever
Went away. He saw it all
Change…as these streets always do.
Saw strangers come and go
Saw seasons come and go
He knew which way the wind
Would blow.
I suppose he knew, that someday
He would have to go.
R.I.P. Bob
October 09 2016
Chagal4's Blog 
October 9, 2016 at 4:20 pm |
Oh so sorry to hear about Bob. All your readers will miss him..his comments (imagined or real) always a succinct comment on life AND weather!!
October 26, 2016 at 11:12 am |
Really good, sad and peaceful text. Thank you !
November 8, 2016 at 10:43 pm |
In a way, I had known Bob for over 34 years and, yet, I did not know much about him. His bench sits empty. And yes, he was born in this house and spent nearly 85 years of his life there.