Life Goes On

Life Goes On by Edmund Siejka It was a wedding Middle of December Before Christmas The hall was decorated in bright lights And gay wreathes It was a time to celebrate A time of good cheer. Seated at a corner table The widow sat quietly Watching and waiting Alone for first time in her adult life We were not related They were my brother’s in laws The father and I engaged in small talk during family gatherings What the smart money would call superficial conversations. They had five daughter and the family would laugh when I stumbled on their names My wife said it was OK After all we had two children And their names were easy to remember. At the wedding The daughters were there Attractive Drinks in hand Tight gowns Boyfriends twisted on their arms Dancing and dancing In an uncontrollable frenzy. My wife and I spoke to the widow She answered in quiet words But she was, as far as we knew, In a place Where memories patiently waited for her. We left, not too early and not too late My brother calling out Take a wedding favor A tiny gold bell A keepsake of the wedding. The bell is on my dresser It’s tingling sound now quiet I really don’t know what to do with it For some reason I see the widow’s face Etched in the gold metal And I look away ‘Cause we all know that life goes on.