In a fading sway of notes rehearsed

The music stills like clouds dispersed.

From the empty grass the subtle hiss

Of a gentle breeze with a greener kiss

Accompanies those whose hearts contain

What happened here…

———-

No finer hour – nostalgia ‘brassed’ so well

That warmed the hearts of those who smiled

Young and not so…

Dwellers now, in later years, and by

Whose sides, grand-children’s gentle hold reveals

That aging fingers’ pain is not concealed.

———-

Darker tones yet richer chords play out within

The elders’ smiles: his hand in hers and theirs

Below, where grand-children’s grasp, small and loving

Speaks silently of day well spent… and are content

To snooze in back of car while homeward bound.

———-

Steering safe on quiet roads, his hand seeks hers again.

A single glance. A sense of time entranced.

He looks at her, she holds his stare

Each knows their thoughts are one

From daughter, son, both raised and flown

To these delights who sleep with smiles, behind

———-

A life within vibration; harmony as love

A choir, a band, A fullness of sound.

The longing for a tune enduring

That these, so young

Can ride their growing melody to the future.

———-

©️Stephen Tanham, 2025.