Waiting

by Valerie Joy Decrepito

He sits by the patio,
Silent, oblivious to the throng.

He does not hear
The children’s playful laughter,
Nor the parents’ warning shouts.

He does not see
The warm colors from the
Teepee of today’s
Thanksgiving parade.

He does not hear
The mob,
In all its shining glory,
Sing the bells
of a budding romance.

Nothing, not one thing, at all.

For his thoughts consisted
of the woman,
The woman who by his side
Stayed the most.

He could see the days
That started
With him smelling
The scent of her.

That scent,
The scent of her perfume,
That scent would linger,
For hours,
For days,
For months,
For years.

Funny how it actually does stay,
As if it was always there,
Living comfortably,
In the home he created with her.

He could not, however,
Bring all her smiles
Down the drain,
For one ray of sunshine
That touches his forgotten porch
Was enough
To remind him of her.

He sits by the patio,
Silent, contemplating.

“Of how long has she been there
That he started to not see her, 
Her prodding eyes,
Her asking lips, 
Her unfailing love
For him?”

Oh what a complete fool I was,
He says.

I will make it up to her next time,
He says.

But it never actually happened.

He sits by the patio,
Silent, mindful of the throng.

The throng’s turkey talks
And pumpkin joys
Remind him of what once was
Their thanksgiving morning.

The children’s happy waves
Seen from the teepee
Of today’s parade
Made him think that once
He asked her for one of their own.

The mob,
In all its shining glory,
Still sing the bells
Of a romance
That he has been longing for.

He once had everything,
His love and his life,
He had it all.

He stayed there for quite a while,
Staring blankly at the screen
That invited her to him.

He stayed still,
Waiting for his dame.
He stayed there for quite a while,
But she, his love, never came.