Dust spirals off the leather bound book,
a twister in a desert of forgotten memories.
Each page a door with rusted over hinges,
Time erased the images like footprints
washed out with the tide

wade into the sea of lost encounters
waves of struggle and strife
drag bodies to the abyss to fight
for air and survival

gusts of whispers carry them to land
where she said “Yes.” and “I do.”
Dirt that cradled his knees
As she pressed “I love you.”
Into his open hands
and closed her eyes one final time

storms of denial, sadness screams at his heels
it screams with her sage like eyes
and hands grasp for him but
only reach empty space
like the final pages
never filled.