Visitors come
And stay
Bring sweets to a fractured old woman losing her dignity.
Then leave.
They skip in the park, visit the theater and mingle in their young happiness.
The old woman returns to her bed, her books
To stare out at falling leaves.
Too soon they return.
Fresh made bed.
Uneaten sweets.
Unread books.
And bare trees that have lost their summer.
-MARIA BOLING