September Fourth
As the sun bleeds through a haze
a bird off somewhere sings.
For how long, I ask.
How long before it’s gone?
A leaf falls from an oak
as a branch sways.
I’m waking to a quiet conversation
and the chair I’m sitting on creaks.
Neighbors moved out of the house
two doors down before I had the chance
to know them.
Neighbors have always come and gone.
Cut branches litter the front yard
but in back lies a patch of flowers.
I look at a birthday card sent late
from someone I knew. It says
he’s moved from a seven-room house
to assisted living. I look at shadows
on the wall and ask, Wasn’t it just
yesterday when we went for long runs
and told jokes on Sundays
to make the miles pass
and celebrate the life we had?
But it’s Wednesday and I have bills to pay
before going to work, where coworkers and I
make small talk, but inside I know
we are strangers, each filling a role.
My ears ring as I look out the window.
It’s a new day, I say, then sigh
as the sun bleeds through a haze.
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