Shiney Row

I was waiting
by the old stone cottage
where men had lived
working in stone

I was waiting
that summer's eve
after walking
up from the valley

You came up the road
at a healthy pace
pleasantly surprised
to find me there

A year later
I came again
after walking
up from another valley

Now not on foot
you were still enjoying
the beauty
of nature around you

We watched the owl
and the pheasants
the goldfinches
and the silence

Five more years passed
I was back
following a trail
of memories now

The silence remained
deeper than before
you were no longer there
no longer with us

The cottage remains
behind the tall escarpment
in a landscape of stone
where few now come

Shiney Row was its name
and shining are the memories
of you
and what we shared