i heard her footsteps
but
she wasn’t there;
i turned to speak to her
but
she was gone;
the cats looked lost
when­
her lap was missing
and
eyed me questioning
when
i put them up for the night;
oh, she’s only gone
for a couple of days,
a respite in Monterrey
with a friend;
‘twas too soon to pine,
too short to hurt;
but
it was downright scary
to be lonely;
over forty years,
love evolves;
infatuation, passion
pass with age
dependence on each other,
expectations grow;
we know each other
as well as our own palms;
that’s sometimes good,
sometimes not so good,
but
after forty years.
i can tell you
it can be downright scary
to be lonely.

­­