the distance in your eyes
carries me along
looking to your thoughts
for leadership,
knowing the guide is not you
nor I,
just listen
for the way to unfold,
wait for familiar identifiable scenery,
faced with vacancy of thought
I listen for yours,
your shoulders
once broad and strong
now smaller,
hanging on the bony frame
like a shirt in the closet
bought
at the larger point in life
now can’t find the body
it once wore,
your thoughts looking
for the mind they once led
now wander the clouds
of memory,
lacking purpose,
working so diligently
at patience.
I am here
with you,
for me
as well as you,
for all of us
to earn safety
within our strength
and understanding.