If you wait too long to die

the risk is real

People you know thin out

The risk is that

fewer

Fewer those who can plan

Fewer those who notice you went

Fewer those who show up

Fewer those to remember you

To tell your story.

My father told me

(I did not call him father, of course)

how sad the man across

the back lane had been

when his wife died.

They were always two people

together in their little silver Acadian

Then one.

Sad.

Not one person but he

attended her service

The man said

(His name was John)

My father said

John cried that day

It was warm in the late afternoon

and they drank whiskey

in the garage

until dark🪶