Avoidance in Daydreaming on the Porch

When I saw that old man
running in the park,
and then the old woman
walking by with her stick,
I couldnt even look up at her.
She was a clear-eyed apparition,
And I was wide awake
With calibrated indifference.
We were all three the only ones
In the park that winter afternoon,
flush with light and airy clouds
shadows and illuminated bark.

No shouts of children on the swings,
no youthful tennis players,
no kids running fast in big circles.

The great oaks were still,
Just me and them,
Silence. Or maybe just quiet.
Alone in a small park,

They were running out of time,
I was gazing into it.

Written January 23, 2001