It was an excellent visit.
With my ninety-year old cousin.
At her Assisted Living Residence.
Where she maneuvered a walker.
To a seating area by a window.
With white wicker chairs.
A place to converse.
Catch up on goings-on.
Her children, grandchildren, mine.
Her first great-grandson.
Her sister, my siblings.
Discuss trips, past and present.
Her grandson’s visit to London.
To see the Harry Potter village.
The same month she and her late husband used to go.
It was, indeed, a pleasant meeting.
With smiles surpassing sound.
Till she said with wistful eyes
all her friends lie in the ground.
She has always been a magnet
for mates to flock around.
So her statement from the blue
sent a message most profound.
Savor all relationships.
Clocks don’t cease counting down.
Who knows who’ll be left above,
who’ll be buried neath a mound?
Lynn Benjamin
March 12, 2024