Devotion

He carefully sets her place,

Just as always,

Daisies in a cup,

She never liked a vase,

Across from where he sits,

So he can see her face,

Home set in order,

With some creative disarray,

Blanket set upon a chair,

No particular reason,

Just because she sat it there,

He likes it just that way,

Setting forth into the day,

Along their favorite path,

There are many in the park,

This one is theirs,

For special moments they share,

A certain rabbit by the way,

Certain birds seen every day,

The way she reflects upon the waters,

As they pass beside the pond,

And continue beyond,

To sit awhile on a bench,

Beneath their favorite tree,

Such a site to see,

He doesn’t say too much,

Because he loves to hear her laugh,

As the children pass,

Imaginations bigger than the world,

Seen clearly in the games they play,

As he watches with her,

Fresh flowers picked in hand,

Not too many,

Not too few,

But they are her favorites,

For they bring good cheer,

He always seems to find some,

Any time of year,

It does not matter,

It is no trouble,

Nothing is,

She is his inspiration,

And the fire that never dies,

She is his hope and comfort,

When life can make him cry,

Yet look at his smile,

It is always there,

Even when he is not smiling,

Matters of circumstance,

Do not control him,

Even for awhile,

He is her rock,

She is his strength,

I can see this without fail,

So out of curiosity,

I followed him down the trail,

To a quiet place beneath some trees,

Where I could see him kneel,

And give the flowers to his wife,

In a way that made me reel,

He set them near some others,

He stayed awhile,

Before returning home,

When I went to this place,

I could see them on her stone,

For her path came to an end,

Some decades before,

But she lives on within his heart,

Now and evermore,

He can feel her warmth,

As if she was by his side,

He can hear her laughter,

He can smell her perfume,

He can feel her emotions,

As if she was in the room,

Because a physical end was not enough,

Against the force of love,

For this is the greatest gift,

From our Father in Heaven above,

And as I came to know this man,

I came to know this truth,

From a neighbor whose life,

Shines brighter than the sun,

Who has lost,

Yet who never will loose,

For my own life and relations,

May be rocked by emotion,

I will never forget what I have learned,

About the power of devotion.