THE CROSSWORD PUZZLE

           THE CROSSWORD PUZZLE                 TIM WILLIAMS           JUNE 2015

AN ELDERLY COUPLE SIT
ON FOLD OUT CAMPING CHAIRS,
ENGROSSED, MINDS LINKED,
AS THEY TRY WITH THOUGHTFUL EXPRESSIONS
TO RESOLVE THE NEWSPAPER CROSSWORD PUZZLE,
THEY SMILE AT EACH OTHER AS
THE WIFE SOLVES ONE OF THE CLUES,
THE HUSBAND SMILES BACK,
THEY MOVE ON TO THE NEXT CLUE TOGETHER,
AS THEY PROBABLY HAVE THROUGHOUT
THEIR MARRIED LIVES, TAKING EACH OF LIFE'S PROBLEMS
AS THEY OCCUR, AND DEALING WITH IT TOGETHER,

IN THE DISTANCE THE SEA
 AS STILL AS A MILL POND LAPS QUIETLY
AS IF IT IS TRYING NOT TO INTERRUPT THE COUPLES CONCENTRATION,
EVEN THE WIND SHOWS RESPECT AND IS STILL ALSO,
MY LADY TURNS TO ME SMILES AND SAY'S
" WE WILL BE LIKE THAT, IN TWENTY YEARS TIME ",
I SAID " DO YOU KNOW, I REALLY THINK WE WILL ",
" YOU'LL HAVE TO LET ME DO THE EASY ONE'S FIRST " SHE SAY'S,
I LAUGH AND SAY " DONT WORRY, I WILL ",

THE WARMTH OF THE EVENING AIR ENVELOPES US ALL
AND THE WARMTH OF OUR LOVE AND THAT OF THE ELDERLY COUPLE
MAKES US FEEL CONTENTMENT,
MY MIND WANDERS TO A PICTURE OF US IN TWENTY YEARS TIME
I SMILE, A WARM THOUGHTFUL SMILE AT THE PROSPECT
AND LOOK FORWARD TO THAT DAY'S ARRIVAL,
US SITTING ON OUR FOLD OUT CAMPING CHAIRS
NEWSPAPER CROSSWORD ON OUR LAPS
SOLVING PROBLEMS TOGETHER, WITH NEVER A CROSS WORD.