Sitting in the spring sunshine I wrote this

From his seat on the porch each day
And watches while his wife weeds the garden
And hangs out the washing on the line

Music from the 1940’s plays softly
The soundtrack from his life
Accompanying the closing act now
As he sits and replays his memories

He remembers the days when he was young
He could run, jump and play all day
Then his legs would power him over the hills and far away
He had energy to burn all day

He remembers watching his old dogs play
In the gardens over the years
All are gone now to the Rainbow Bridge
The ghosts of memories waiting for him there

He remembers the children’s growing years
The scrapes, bruises, bumps and broken bones
Stuck in trees, stuck on roofs those children did it all
And now he watches the grandchildren repeat it all again

The smile on his time weathered face tells it all
The story of a life well lived and long
It’s written in the creases time has wrought
And the twinkle in his eyes

A soft sigh escapes as he looks down at his legs
Injured in a fall not long ago
They won’t ever carry him far again
Without his walker he can’t move around any more

He knows that his days are counting down
He feels the strength leaving his body now
It’s only strength of will and love that hold him here
He’s not ready to turn the last page just yet

Not ready to leave the ones he loves
So he’s fighting the grip of death
Unsure of how long or how hard he can fight
But the chapter won’t be closed just now

For now the sun can warm his bones
And he’ll sit and watch the world go by
His little dog curled in his lap asleep
And the music of his youth in his ears

The chair sits empty now most days
But I feel those faded eyes watching me still
As I work in the garden we built together
Cleaning up the neglect of time

The little dog still curls asleep on the chair
So quiet, still and alone
She watches me work as she used to do
And I am sure he is there with her still

I feel him cheering me on as I work
I can almost hear his words now
“It’s about time, love, you got going again
You’ve got years left yet to live”

So off I go and start the chores
To get this yard cleaned up right
Just a he would want me too
Then it’s time to live again

I’m far too young to wither away
A prisoner of grief and tears
The memories will remain with me though
Of the love and happiness shared

It’s been 20 months that I’ve been alone
And it’s time to clean up the yard
Time to get back to life again
Time to live and laugh and love

The biggest gift he gave to me 
Remains in my heart each day
It’s the will to live and love again
To find that future bright and clear

Music echo’s through the house again
Though it’s different music now you will hear
The songs of the 60’s rock the roof
And I sing those well-loved words once more

I sing with joy and laughter now
I wander through the morning dew
I smile at the stars in the velvet sky
Because life is good again

I have learned to live alone
In the passage of time since then
But the gift he gave me way back then
Means that I can move on with my life

His blessing I’ll take heed of now
As I move forward into the future
And I’ll sit in his chair on the porch some days
And just let the sun warm my bones
© Dawn Millen 2012