The Nineties

Joan could have died a few weeks ago

congestive heart failure

ninety-four soon, it looked like game over

for a week or two.

We saw her again yesterday, 

she damned near damped her diamond

giggling about crabs (not hers)

don’t laugh, you had to be there.

I said to Anna, 

‘do you know, if she went tonight

you couldn’t be sad could you

her laughing like that this afternoon”.

We chuckled about it all the way home,

and then the bombshell!

a bit like with Joan, 

we never saw it coming

not exactly unexpected but

still a shock when it happened

so we just sat, watched and listened

as the gentle sound of our history

 turned over yet another page.

*

© Graham R Sherwood 09/22