by Valerie Hess

Sitting in the lobby,
fancy coffee and electronics in hand,
I watch elderly tourists,
soft bodies, canes,
waiting to be called.
A delay; the train will be late.
Fellow pilgrims settle in, getting to know each other:
comparing, contrasting lives, bragging a bit.
Like sheep, 
they wait to be herded through beauty,
eating what’s placed before them,
sleeping where assigned.
Soon, some will do this in a care facility,
but for now, their world expands,
like nearly worn-out elastic with a bit of hold in it.
New pictures to share! New stories to tell folks back home.
While they wait for the train, 
glory. 

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Valerie Hess is a musician, author, poet, retreat speaker, mother, and grandmother. She and her husband currently live in western Montana.