Highway 85

I asked my husband what was wrong He didn’t answer He just wiped his eyes and drove away He left his wedding ring on the table I strode out into the misty morning the sun fighting the sky for the stage as a steady drizzle began I felt no rain I went to the coffee shop and waited in line as I stared at the mirrors that refused to show my face The server took the order of the person behind me I stormed out in a huff, my hands never touching the door I wandered in the wispy morning light A chill climbed up my spine Those that walked passed me huddled closer As if they too could feel my chill I walked past my daughter's school And waved back to her on the playground Her friends weren’t playing with her She must be very lonely I found myself at the church The shining white beacon in the sky Beyond in the graveyard, I saw two new graves I wondered who had died A little way away I saw my childhood home And for a moment I thought I saw My dearly departed parents Rocking in their old rickety chairs I glide past the newsstand I see a headline “Mother and daughter dead in highway 85 crash” And my heart hurts for the family