BABYLAND

My wife and I

went to say hello

to her mother and

put flowers on her

Grave

and as it was such

a vivid day shining

like life’s most

poignant dream (you

know, that feeling

you only get in late

autumn as the last

reluctant leaves

finally fall and old

man winter sends

hints of his coming),

I suggested we go

for a quiet walk

through the large

silent park where

the dead reside in

undemanding patience.

We walked the long paths

of this community of souls,

stopping here and there

to read the grave markers

(and without telling my wife

I would compare their years

against my own, so often

amazed I had more, and

knowing my own youth of

unsweet carelessness, had to

wonder why).

Then we came upon a small

stonewall enclosure, with

a sign at its entrance:

BABYLAND

Within low walls of dead-cold

stone we saw the tiny grave

markers, most with but one

date beneath a name and often

an appellation (‘Little Bo’, ‘Our

Angel’, ‘My Lost Dream’)

though some had two dates,

usually only a few days apart,

sometimes a few months of life

were testified to.

As we left that saddest part of a

very sad place, I said to my wife,

‘It’s good they’re all together,

isn’t it?’

She nodded her head but turned

away so I could not see her eyes…

Nolo Segundo, pen name of a retired teacher [America, Japan, Taiwan, Cambodia] became a late-blooming published poet in his 70s in over 225 literary journals in 18 countries and has been nominated for the Pushcart, thrice for Best of the Net. Cyberwit.net has published 3 collections in softcover, the latest titled ‘Soul Songs’.