Read Poetry: Where the Tears Go, by J Hirtle

 Genre: Dying

 Ten thousand days, perhaps more
Now faded forever
Since he first enlightened this lyricist
Guiding my vestal quill
Through undiscovered lands
With the poise of Gandalf
Proffering just enough to arouse one more query

The old man stood bent at the waist
The autumn of his life declared by the deep lines upon his face
His hands unable to conceal a never-ending tremble

He has always appeared ancient to my youth-filled gaze
Silver hair with amber tips
Bespectacled eyes behind thick glass
A wooden cane never leaving his grip

The morning sun greets our kinship
As I help him to our old park bench
Quietly we share the new dawn
I speak first
As oft I do,
Nay, as I always have

I pose my question,
“Where do tears go when they depart my eyes?”
I know they wander down my cheeks
When my emotions I cannot disguise