Ghosts ask “Does it trouble you that
you haven’t done more with this marvelous
life God gave you?” “No,” I reply.
“And it doesn’t trouble me about all
the sadness and loss God gave me.”
The sign was there to warn us,
but not everyone paid attention, and anyway,
we need to get to the end
of this rough road. And it’s hard.
Grip the wheel. And keep moving forward.
after many autumns, winters and final fall
is rings – a dendrochronology of historical context,
environmental conditions, and possible future issues.
Earlywood, latewood, drought year, wet year, diseases –
no soul, but a body outliving life.