The house was empty
Except for me
What had been merriment
Only a week ago
Was now almost a grim silence
The weather, too, had taken
A turn. Whatever tilts in the
Heavens tilted toward winter
The morning is cold and quiet
The lake has a glaze of smooth
It has been an awkward year
Spring had to fight to show up
And then was rainy and cold
Summer was gray with only
A few days of sunshine
The lake water was not often
Warm for swimming. When the
Sun was right the kayaks had
To fight the waves. There were
No complaints though; everyone
Was having fun. We ate well; had
Our fires and the week went by
Like the snap of fingers and then
The packing and trip to the airport
All of the anticipation and now
The goodbyes. Tears and sadness
The hard-to-swallow process
The talk of moving here became
A dream again. There are hopes
But doubts prevail. We have
Ways to find contentment
I have to wait for my body
To heal. I has been almost
Seven months since I fell
And tore my quadriceps and
Three months since I fell again
Delaying the healing process
Time heals all wounds
I hope so
Stanski
September 1, 2022, ^
Steve Haarman 