Friday, September 20, 2013

The Sundial

The Sundial


Heaps of leaves cover
The stone sundial in the park
By a stone angel

A visitor slowly strolls
His ‘Visitor’s Guide’ in hand

Sold at the newsstand
The latest tips on races
And some candy bars

While above the sound of cars
An airplane seems to hover

Drifts of snow cover
The stone sundial in the park
And the memorial

The bronze plaque testimonial
Long lists of forgotten names

An old man who’s lame
Playing chess with a stranger
He can hardly see

“If it were up to me
We would build a highrise here.”

The councilman sneers,
Grinning avariciously,
And shakes someone’s hand

At the rickety newsstand
People seem to speak lower

The New Moon covers
The stone sundial in the park
With the touch of stars

Observed through some jailhouse bars
It looks like another world

Like a dream unfurled
After twenty years apart
A surprised greeting

At the small A. A. Meeting
He’s trying to recover

While a hawk hovers
Above the stone sundial
In the city park

An old dog can barely bark
While the sun is rising fast

“This is unsurpassed,
These days that I’ve spent with you,
I’d like them to last . . .”

Holding hands as they walk past
The smiling teenage lovers

July shade covers
The stone sundial in the park
By the grove of trees

Standing there, he looks displeased
By the message he received

“It’s hard to believe
That they would really fire me
After all these years.”

There’s an odd absence of fear,
But other times were tougher

Like when his mother
Went to work day after day
For very little pay

Even so, she’d often say,
“Beauty’s there to discover”

Plum blossoms cover
The stone sundial in the park
By the great boulder

Answering her granddaughter,
Grandma says, “Now I’m older.”



No comments: