In the forest...

...remembering Al

As we were walking toward the curve,

The curve that heads toward Fleming Creek, we saw it.

There it was.

A new bench!

A new place to sit!

It’s not like Jacquie and I walk far.

We aim for two miles a day,

And more is better.

But a new bench! A bench where there was none.

A new place to sit! Oh, joy!

It had a plaque, like the bench plaques in Central Park.

“Enjoy the moment,” it said.

“In Memory of Al Bannister”

“1933-2008.”

Gone already, 18 years.

Well, thank you, Al, anyway. Thank you, Al’s heirs. Al’s friends?

Had you bought Google early on and they kept the stock, Al?

I looked you up. It seems you were an engineer at the Ford Motor Company.

It doesn’t matter really.

We love your bench. We stay more than a moment.

We love the shade on a hot day. We love you.

“Thank you, Al,” we say. “Thank you.”

And we wonder: Is there a heavenly bench for you to sit upon?