A Poem by Walter Weinschenk

In the afternoon, when sun is king,
I walked along the shore;
Three shadows followed me
Each one longer than the next.

The first was child in adult form
Groping for a hand to hold;
Sinking steps in yellow sand;
The sweater he wore had once been mine;
I buttoned it up so he wouldn’t catch cold
And did my best to arrange his tie;
It made me cry as we walked along.

The second was worldly,
Propelled by the tide
Of habit and experience,
Pale with fear despite the sun,
Furrows deep along the brow,
Creases in the cheek,
Desire dried and cauterized
Long before he had reached the beach;
It made me cry as we walked along.

The third was a shepherd,
Sober eyes, solemn pout,
Crooked neck and head bent forth;
He’d lean upon his walking stick,
Bronze wood scarred by wind and salt;
He lifted it up when the sun turned red
And pointed to the mountain ahead,
Dim blue edifice, azure crest
And, all at once, we all looked up;
It made me cry as we walked along.