Saxophone

By Cliff Lake

 Saxophone

 

The days have grown old,

And he has a quiet cough,

That never quite goes away…

Not anymore.

 

But he can find a sunny day,

In a certain song.

And he is brought back there,

When the saxophone kicks in.

 

Then he remembers her smile,

And a laugh that came from her soul,

And he can get lost in her eyes again,

When the saxophone kicks in.

 

Then today fades in a warm rush of recall,

Remembered friends gathered,

And campfires and laughter are all unfocused,

Because all he really saw was her.

 

These cold nights he perches on his couch alone,

The years have slipped past and left their mark.

She has slipped away so long past,

He can barely look at her photo without the world going black.

 

But once in a while he can find her again.

As she reaches for him, her eyes dancing.

And she seems so alive that he can almost smell her,

And she is here when the saxophone kicks in.

 

He can no longer feel the warmth in the sun,

Food has no taste, color drains from all.

He knows it’s not long now; he knows he will soon slip…

And he plans to do just that – when the saxophone kicks in.

 

Cliff Lake 2/8/2023

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2023

Location: Dalton, MA, USA

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