Her Place

She sat silently on the swing
Watching humming birds
Helicopter their way
In and out the red salvia

A hideaway of sublime solace
Serenely nestled among
Hostas, day lilies, and Alberta dwarf spruces
Planted for beauty and deer food

Sometimes I joined her
To be together, to talk
Or just to swing softly
In sweet silence

But it was really
Her swing, her place
For coffee, a book
Or profound worship

This year oddly meandered by
Without my neighbor's spectacular
October Glory maple tree
Which died unexpectedly, unexplainably

And the swing has been empty
For a while now
Except for the foot of snow
And the chickadee that visits

Today a delightful deer
Strode by the swing
And perhaps glimpsed the chickadee
As in a flash it flitted toward heaven