by LeRoy Coffie Jr.

The sun rises
The sun falls
A little boy
An old man
The moon is full
The stars shine brightly
A little girl
An old woman
The clock ticks
Tick tock. Tick tock.
Seconds become
Minutes become
Hours become
Days become
Years become
A lifetime
A little boy
An old man
A little girl
An old woman
Walk across the sand
Remembering
The sun
The moon
And the stars
Her Piece of Sand
The lady watches summer sand
slowly drift by, one piece is still in her hand
One tiny speck of eternity
without love it will not ever be
Feelings can make it real,
but still, blindness can conceal
She slowly approaches the van
knowing love is still in her hand
The sudden teardrops wash it from her hand
taking with it, her piece of sand
Anxiously she looks, crying most desperately:
“where can it be?”
The teardrops continuously flow
while inside she begins to grow
Running down her cheeks they dry,
but deep inside, she still cries
Slowly her life continues
she gets caught up in something new
Until one day someone touches her hand
and in it she finds her piece of sand.
Originally published in American Poetry Anthology (Fall 1986)
Reprinted by permission
Short red hair
Brown eyes looking at me
Wondering
Innocence of youth
A smile
A giggle
Laughter is all around me
Jumping and playing
Everything is so simple
Again
I look into your eyes
And I see myself
Memories
Bring tears to my cheeks
An old man
Looking into the past
Wishing
He could do
It all over again
… you sit there
wondering
why is that crazy old man
looking at me?
