Notes on an Elderly Couple in Church

by John Stocks

Known souls whose troubles roll together
In symbiotic love
She a wild west wind
He a turbulent ocean’s churn.
Arm in arm in restless tide
With a warm sun behind them now
And blessings of life in undertow.

Half a century of shared sleep
A family scattered
Like autumn leaves
A child to grieve.

At night they hold each other close
Sometimes confused
Now standing on a moorland edge
Wrapped in each other’s arms.
Or imagining a race and chase
A soft southern wind
To caress their face.

Age has eased them
Like laudanum but not dulled
Their restless spirit.
Nothing is ageless; except the breaking wave
Nothing is certain
Except an end to days.

She turns to him and smiles
Three words;
And hopes that love prevails.