The door bell chimes hang
On the dining room wall.
If only the dusty brass tubes
Had been rung by you.
Solely happy when readying
The craft for its first
Voyage and any
Words you say are
Codes between you
And a fearless crew.
The door re-closed
Again, with its window,
Its push plate, no
One to count as
It swung again and again
For fifty years and still
I knew you
Could not come through.
When you run the show.
The rides and arcades,
Tests of strength and
Fortunes divined, it
Becomes a guess whether
There is room for love
As though a train
Creaked and screeched
In a restless move
Carrying fading memories
Away from towns we
new, now gone.

RLB 05/30/2023