Who Can Hold Out Longer?
The men
appear
to be
outliving
the women
They show up now
At the funerals
With their so-called
Friends
Companions
How quick to judge
Are the youngest
And supposed
Most pious
Let her soul rest,
They say
It’s only been
Six months,
They say
He’s never been alone,
The others say
He’ll die as soon
As she did,
Without someone
To talk to,
They say
Would you?
Would you dry up
Out of loneliness?
Swallowed up by
Solitude?
Not everyone
Not those who’ve
Learned to subsist
On crumbs
Not even a scrap
She received from him
All those years in the same home
And so she lived alone,
Before they ever parted
She’s healthier now,
And so is he
Where it comes down at
Is endurance
What can hold out longer?
The conscience,
Or the conscientious?
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This Post is republished on Medium.
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Photo credit: Unsplash
