the kids in plaid
and saddle-oxfords
filed toward the folding chairs
in the drafty gym

buddies and loners,
musicians and leaders
and melancholy jokers

there was the smell of
floor varnish
and the loud speaker
failed
and the priest talked of feet

he held a giggling boy in the air by his heel
as though newly born
and the nun -
she spoke of shoulders.

(the past was present
and the future
not so very far away)

late in the day
a woman bearing four flowers
came to visit
a very old man
a commander and
a veteran joker

90 roses
she said
arrived for the elders

the room was warm
late afternoon light
filled his room

image taken 3-18-12 in Austin, Texas