The curtain now has fully closed-
So why am I still on this stage
Declaiming words I never wrote.

Why am I in fancy costume, with
Heavy makeup on my face
To hide the wrinkles of my failings
And paint me as a thespian.

Cast in a play they say I’ve written
With a pen that's never touched my hand
And a last act that I’ve never seen.

I haven’t learned the blocking yet,
So I don’t know which way to move
Or which door I should exit through
And what will be my final lines.

As lights go down from the Interval
The audience regains their seats
To watch me in the final scene.
  ^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^
It’s over so I bow to scant applause
And no one comes to hand me flowers.
I stumble as the lights go slowly out,
And make my way from memory
To my dressing room down a dusty hall
Where I will take this garish makeup off
And walk home as the girl I really am.
                        ljm

Located near a State Park
Docks for boats and fishing
Blowfish swell like mini basketballs hoping humans won"t cut off their edible tails
Two little girls in yellow and orange bathing suits with vertical orange stripes  on top
Jump on swings on the sand trying to pump high and jump into the ocean
Captree childhood beach days

In the twilight’s hush, where shadows play
I’ll hold your words, and cherish every way
You weave a tapestry of love and time
A bittersweet reminder of life’s rhyme

Memories of whispers, laughter and tears
Echoes of moments, through all the years
The velvet curtain, a gentle farewell
A promise of remembrance, that will forever dwell

In the realm’s beyond, where love remains
Our bond will whisper, through joy and pains
Though mortal frames, may fade and decay
In memory’s garden, our love will stay