Friends in the fall of our lives

we talked of such things, of the number of good years

remaining, of joints and pains, of regrets....

of the extent of free will vs the inevitable.

it was a beautiful fall day; the golden leaves

rustled in the trees, we descended with great care

the steep stairs to the river, where we shared our

peanut butter and apples, bananas and crackers,

now-thawed Swiss cheese, decidely not worse for the wear.

and wine.

and as we climbed from the canyon, we wavered a bit

struck by our slightly-drunken wobble, the wine 

having made the sunshine ever so slightly stronger,

the trail ever so slightly more challenging.