TWO OLD MEN

 

A rainy day, in sullen gloom

The aged men sit…

No need to turn the lights on,

Enough daylight’s legit.

–

The one, in his favorite chair,

The other riding shotgun…

A lot of folks have passed through there

Since this ritual was begun.

–

Both chairs are slightly angled

Out toward the sun or rain…

Watching for the U.S. Mail

And Meals on Wheels again.

–

Each sits in his revelry,

Silent as a tomb…

One or both may notice

Someone entering the Common Room.

–

The elder is hard of hearing

And wears a hearing aid…

You wouldn’t know talking to him,

Responses are delayed!

–

They sit and watch for hours

From early morn to night…

Getting up for meals and bathroom breaks,

They keep the world in sight.

–

One takes an afternoon nap

And then others may fill in…

When either of the men return,

Newcomers give way to them.

–

They see almost all that’s going on,

In the courtyard and in the road…

When Homemakers or Nurses come

We strike the mother lode!

–

When time is nearing end-of-day

And evening transpires…

The watchful two get up and leave,

Eat and retire.

–

No one keeps a watchful eye

On the overnight….

No goings-on to entertain,

Just fisher cats to fight.

–

But shortly after daybreak,

We again see these two…

Sitting near the windows

Watching for anything new.

 

–Jonathan Caswell