It’s Autumn on the back patio
Grilling chicken and peppers
Heart healthy lunch
Contemplating my diagnosis
And I wonder how many
More afternoons there will be
Before my heart gives up
Clouds trail overhead
I look up at them all white and puffy with blue behind
And I see pictures in the clouds
The big pictures
And they tell me to enjoy the small things
The chicken
The peppers
Even the ants crawling on the concrete
The clouds pass on
Inevitably
Over the horizon
Replaced by new pictures
And my son, my own little replacement, comes outside
And we eat our lunch
And enjoy the day
Until it’s over
