Editor’s note: Originally appeared in the August 2005 issue of A&U.
Visit IV
On the skirted porch
that flanks two sides of the house,
on a wicker table,
kept in place by rocks,
two stacks of mail wait,
one for me, and one for you.
There’s nothing important for me—
a few flyers are all.
For you there are cards
wishing you well,
arriving the day after your passing.
One small card, handmade,
with a heart carefully drawn,
says, “Get well soon!”
Across the street,
Mr. Davis pushes his mower,
which makes a pleasant whirring sound.
Standing, leaning with my hands on the table,
I listen.
—Mary Kathryn Vernon
Mary Kathryn Vernon began writing when she was thirty-five. Since then, she has taken writing courses at local colleges and universities and has published poetry, memoir, and non-fiction. She has lived in Wichita, Kansas, since 2009.
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