Ireland

It was only change...
from her hand to his.

Young man at the cash register
very old woman,
unable to figure out
what her items cost

I’m next in line
waiting

As ancestral respect
for elders
reached through his soft smile
and gentleness of hand
to help her
count coins

And tell her silently
her age and fading ability are OK

For her to lend a hand
in showing me
the dance between young and old
can extend beyond sweetness

Where there is plenty of time for kindness
and the need for it never fades

And I thought I was waiting to pay for water.
Mary