black Americans stroll
past my car
on this warm November day
pursuing who-knows-what
as I wait for
who-knows-what to
complete

I’ve forgotten how it feels
to be a child out of
school
these strollers remind me
of those freer times
but
I’m old now and
sensing the end of my long life
not morbid:
practical

and despite that thought
I’m joyous
waiting for
who-knows-what
to complete

because life is more
than thought
and
way beyond death


c. 2023 Roberta Compton Rainwater