The elders are going
One by one they take their leave
last breathes
Or whispered goodbyes
Sometimes without any words at all
Thin tall frames
Short lumpy ones too
Heads full with memories and songs
Ever varying shades of gray
They’ve gathered all their days
In a white cloth made of cotton
And tied them to a stick
With a string
And thrown them over shoulders
Waving off the June bugs
Dipping head and shoulders beneath the willows sway
Whistling or humming or singing as they walk off into the deep green
Or into the dessert beige
Beneath blues and reds and pinks
Mountain ranges wave as they pass
Sometimes silent as they go
Or with wide smiles and laughter recalled
I’ll not forget, I pray
The way you laughed
The rhythmic way you walked
Never
The breeze rises slow and strong
lifting dust from earth
gently falling down
Like the tears we weep at your leaving
I try but no thing makes your leaving less like your leaving
all the grace 