A Tombstone
A slate tooth rises among the rest
Weathered by age and season.
It stands through the days and the nights
Veiling a withering mahogany coffin.
He dedicated his ailing years
To a life of solitude.
Only his young granddaughter
Shattered the loneliness.
They played draughts
On a fading board.
No one visits.
There’s no one left to visit.
His offspring are out in the world
Living their own busy lives.
Her mother pulled up
Outside one night.
He picked her up
Kissed her on the forehead
Zipped her coat
And walked her to the car.
Decades pass
And his family begin to join him.
First his sons and daughters
Then his grandsons and granddaughters.
After struggling up the stairs
He hawked and spat
Into the sink.
As he left the bathroom
He collapsed
And never stood again.
Decades pass
Bulldozers flatten the cemetery
Giving way to condominiums
And dour blocks of flats.
The funeral was a quiet affair
For a quiet man.
Family and friends exchanged hollow condolences
And the priest ushered everyone out.
The granddaughter stayed behind
Until her mother led her away.
