candlelight
and mellow tunes
their past unveiled
and goals expressed
and on that eve
a name arose
a mutual friend
a story told
and down the line
the truth unfolds
a final blow
a painful end
high above
the desert floor
he soars on waves
of rising air
his view of sand
and sun-baked rock
the only trees
near hidden springs
and soon he dives
to make a kill
and takes his meal
to cooler heights
it's there he'll spend
the clear, cold night
beneath a dome
of distant suns
if this is it
then let me go
let me walk the woods
let me stroll the beach
if this is it
let me feel the sunshine
let me hear the birds
let me smell the grass
if this is it
let me be me
and when it's time
just let me go
a celebration
as it were
a glass or two
a special day
future plans
were on the plate
fears expressed
suggestions made
but now it's clear
this was the end
too much said
yet not enough
so long away
now returned
familiar ground
but so much change
older structures
since replaced
cherished sites
lost in time
nostalgia now
with sadness mixed
a sense of loss
and some regret
for more than place
a sorrow builds
of human bonds
lost as well