header

Home
About the author
Book / Readings

The poems

© 2010-2013

old marriage

Sitting here
Watching all the pairs of people
I see the old couple
She wears a dark denim sweater
And her white hair is curled
He has a soft striped shirt
And what only could be described as
A jaunty hat
There’s a relaxed way
About their quibbling
Maybe he doesn’t want to go
Where she does
And he grumbles about the food
He doesn’t like bean-sprout sandwiches
And he hates to shop
She wants to take the trolley
And see the botanical garden
He wants to play golf
Take the jeep tour and then a nap
There they are
Quarreling and grumbling
But they are enduring this vacation together
Because they promised
Down deep inside
They wear the badge of each other
And when they get up and walk away
They cling, gently, slightly
To each other’s hands
And are no more aware of it
Than they are of breathing