Women
of the hills & valleys

I see the old woman
shopping in the local centers on marbled lined floors,

trembling on her walker
support hose aged & black ... singling out
choice fruit & vegetables;

chatting with the other old women
in the market place ...

She departs
remembering to catch a bus, or to walk back home,
in time for a cup of tea ...

The old woman forgets,
keeps on walking past other houses, only to turn back
to her neighbor's home ... as empty
as her own.

For the old man
who sat at leisure for forty years
discussing olive trees and far away hills, yesterdays,

is no more.

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