Every now and then
She checks in on me
I know when she’s there
Because I close my eyes and I feel it.
The other day
I found a spot
A spot by a small fountain
A small fountain in a herb patch
A herb patch in a formal garden
At Cragside
I was tired from walking
Like someone twenty years my senior
So I sat on a bench
And my teenage daughters sat on benches too
And stared at their phones
Just the sound of the fountain
Trickling
Maybe a bee
But I don’t remember that
Maybe a passing aeroplane at 30,000 feet
But I don’t remember that
I closed my eyes
Just me
And the fountain
And my daughters silently scrolling their screens
She was there
Sitting beside me
And when I knew, the sun came from behind a cloud
The late August sun
And I felt the warmth
And the love
Just me
And my mum
And my girls
That’s lovely, Dave, and beautifully paced.
Thanks Matthew.