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Spokane Writes Anthology – In celebration of who he once was

In Celebration of Who He Once Was

He wears the ring on his right hand in
celebration of a marriage passed, two golden
retrievers, an old tabby cat, two kids
now grown, a vacation with a friend
who could cook on the old Coleman stove.
It was possible to celebrate
and be sad at the same time.
The way one can be perfectly happy
wearing the clothes of a dead friend.
This house once yellow; that house
once was white. A dog once named Murphy.
A cat named Sam. Another cat named Tiger.
A dog called Patch. There used to be a weeping willow
by the pond. That boy was a girl. That girl wanted to be a horse.
This building used to be a factory, now it is a house.
I loved egg casserole and folding chairs.
I celebrate green trees, a hollow tune
mourning and low, slow, not quite a loon
the penny whistle played by a remembering man.