I stop and ponder the family of ten
with their calm orderliness
and subdued arrangement.
***
Two, tall, holding the center.
Four, small, standing in the shade.
Four, small, standing in the light.
***
The names reveal a family
of belief:
Faith, Hope, Charity …
I draw closer to feel their presence.
***
Tall oaks rain their leaves upon the ground.
Birds sound their winter warnings.
The winds whistle lightly to remind me
of all the things I’ve yet to do,
and how little time I have left to do them.
***
I stop and ponder the family of ten
with their exacting standards
and perfectly placed stones.
***
Two, tall, centered in union.
Four, small, gathered on the left.
Four, small, gathered on the right.
***
The dates reveal a family
of loss:
1917, 1918, 1919 …
I hold silence to let them feel my presence.
***
I make a vow to speak in stone,
to find a way to talk to strangers.
To make passersby stop and greet me
when I am but a marker on the land.
Copyright 2023 Kesel Wilson (entirely, 100% human-created)
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Kesel Wilson 