For my paternal uncle

Not far from the leaning
Jesus, Who wraps
Himself around
a bereaved one,

turquoise twine crosses
your grave, where
jute mesh has yet
to submit itself to the earth.

My elderly father
reads a book
about the preparation
for dying,

just as the starlings
begin practicing
their fall murmurations.

Even in all this fog,
they never lose
sight of one another.

Chris Daleiden is semi-retired and lives in Fond du Lac with her husband Jim. She enjoys the creative aspects of poetry, photography, and watercolors. She is a member of WFOP.