Two sandhill cranes are dancing their stiff-legged,
butt-wagging
strut.
What do cranes do in the hurricanes—
black sky,
winds shearing rooftops, uprooting palm trees?
_________* * *
"They come and they go, maybe she died,"
says my partner at bridge
when I ask about Diane.
The other players nod,
turn back to their cards.
They come and they go:
nursing homes
hurricanes
diluted finances
a spouse dies...
But then I find her
step-stepping at Water Aerobics.
"Happy to see you,"
say the people at bridge,
strutting on the tennis courts,
striding to the putting green.
"We might not remember you if you go, or
even if you stay."
_________* * *
Maybe it's not just the cranes
who have found
the secret of weathering storms.
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