sonora2sonoma

They realized

there wasn’t going to be enough money

for her to remain in her home

the home where, for  39 years,

she had spent her days and her nights

growing old with her husband

the home where they gathered on holidays

where the grandkids came to visit

and their many friends would congregate

on special occasions

the home

where they came together

to support their father when his days grew short

and his presence, his spirit,

grew weaker

until the pull from that domain beyond

grew so strong

he could no longer resist it.

The home of history, of family,

of memories of good times and bad,

of tears, of laughter, joy and sorrow,

The home that soon

would be a home no longer.

They broke the news to her

gently

but news such as that

does not break gently

and neither did she.

They found her a new home

one whose inhabitants, like her,

had outgrown their independence

through ill health, bad genes

or poor planning,

Souls, like her,

who no longer were regarded as capable

of the self-management of their affairs.

Her house would be sold, she was informed,

to cover the cost of her care

at the retirement home.

Her belongings

save the things she was allowed to take with her

were disposed of

without her participation

or assent

Having lost control

and not in agreement

with the changes she found herself subjected to,

she entered this new

unfamiliar territory

armed with little more than her dog–

a derelict Chihuahua of dubious provenance

with few prospects

and a dislike of peeing outside

a dog that depended on her for his existence

much as she depended on him for hers.

A match not made in Heaven

but one that, for her,

enabled her to accept her situation

once she realized

her dog was beginning to adjust to being there.

3  January 2017

Petaluma, CA

Tim Konrad