At the Elm Street Market they sit and chat like Mayberry’s best
all retired, some widowed, all lonely.
Under the pretense of the morning news they
drink coffee and smoke cigarettes.
Contacts formerly provided by work and family have drifted.
Gone are the blueprints for a structured existence.
Gone are the words of their youth.
Well aware of what they need,
they reach out to each other.
Seeking connection
they begin to draw the diagrams.
They hunt for words to rewrite their lives.
The Well Tempered Bards 
[…] At The Country Store […]
LikeLike
At least they have each other. I love how we timed this – almost as if it were on purpose 😉
You paint a clear picture. I like it 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you my dear….
LikeLike
I know places just like this.
LikeLike
I bet where you live they’re everywhere.
LikeLike
My favorite line is gone are the blueprints for a structured existence.
LikeLike
Thanks Val!
LikeLike
In the last years of his life my father and his friends met just like this each weekday morning at the small local café to drink coffee and “chew the fat” and talk about the way things used to be and the way that kids are now. 🙂 I never realized just how many good friends my father had until I returned home for his funeral. It pleased me to see how loved and respected that he was in the small town where I grew up.
LikeLike
Isn’t that moment great when you realize that? I remember that when my father died.
LikeLike
‘Gone are the blueprints for a structured existence’. This line rings so true. Love it.
LikeLike
Thank you!
LikeLike
Wow! I had to take a step back! It sounds like a simple poem but it’s not with it’s touch and reminder. Thank you for this beautiful piece!
LikeLike
Thanks Fida!
LikeLike
This takes me back to my home town of 1900 folks. At one time there were so many “characters: who sat on benches by the stores (now few) to visit with folks as they walked by. There is still a local restaurant with a round table to accommodate those who want to catch up on the news.
LikeLike
Wow…thats sweet…and cool.
LikeLike
I know these folks.
LikeLike
I bet most people do!
LikeLike
Nice job, very evocative of a lonely feeling of getting older and less relevant. I like how at the end you leave an opening for transformation and a renewed sense of purpose!
LikeLike
Thanks Christine.
LikeLike
Gone are the words of their youth.
Well aware of what they need,
they reach out to each other.
Wonderful lines there Zoe 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you!
LikeLike
**Well aware of what they need,
they reach out to each other.
Seeking connection
they begin to draw the diagrams.
They hunt for words to rewrite their lives.**
Oh!!
Brilliant and potent and lovely! =D
LikeLike
Thanks so much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are most welcome!
LikeLike
[…] Well-Tempered Bards […]
LikeLike