Collect hickory nuts.
The ancient tree, guarding the eroding
Grave stones, is bearing again this year.
When I pulled up, a car was already
Parked there in the shade, a
Convertible with its top down.
I greeted the man eating his lunch and
Learned that we both share a fondness for
The old burial grounds.
I'm surprised that I hadn't met him there
Before.
Our conversation led to discussing the
Epitaphs on the markers and to me
Explaining the importance of knowing
Where we will go after we die,
Which led me to giving him a bracelet and
A tract and telling him he was my
Divine appointment for the day and that I
Would probably write a poem about him.
And as he drove back to work, I opened the
Gate to my special, sacred place and
Gathered a bag of nuts.