At
the bathroom sink, she rinses her face
Says
to herself, “something seems out of place.”
Looking
in the mirror, she examines the lines
Unaware
of the changes the years have brought
To
someone she knew in the past.
Pausing
there, she reminisces
Mind
drifting back to childhood
She
remembers walking barefoot
on
the fresh green grass
Even
the smell fills her senses
That
was a favorite thing to do.
Now
the smell of coffee calls her to the kitchen
Where
her husband smiles
as
he spreads butter on her toast.
Adding
strawberry preserves
that
she loves the most!
“Good
morning dear, what day is this?”
Her
eyes still twinkle when he kisses her softly
She
doesn’t respond
but
again asks the question
“What
day is this”?
Her
hair once auburn is now silver and gray.
She
remembers the color but it has gone away.
Her
hands once steady now move with a tremble,
While
she gazes out the dining room window;
Watching
the birds as they fly away into the day!
Her
robe is buttoned crooked;
She
wears only one slipper,
As
she talks of “last night at the dance,”
When
she was young and knew romance.
She
can still hear the music that played 40 years ago.
“Can
we watch the box now?”
she
asks as she takes her usual spot.
“Dear,
turn on Bob Barker. You know,
I
just love that Truth or Consequences show.”
She
walks to the door and opening it says “hello?”
“Funny,
no one’s there. What do you know?”
While
it was the phone that she had heard ringing.
“Maggie,
come sit down. This phone call is for you.”
DeLayne Victoria Perry
Copyright ©2002 DeLayne Perry
