The girl across from me picks nervously at a coaster
Her short, red hair peeking out from under a stylish cap
"Have you been chewing on that?" asks the waiter
We laugh - deep, hearty laughs, and an embarrassed protest
Falls from her lips, too late to stop the uproar
The joke lives on, and many celebrations are marked
By cards of cardboard coasters signed with friendship
In another world, though they have crossed
A glazed, handcrafted mug sits upon Welsh slate
The sorrowful gray of the stone whispers
Of skies and mountains cold and swept by sad winds
But though a few stray tears slide down her cheek
She is happy, for in memory there is a peace
The peace of echoes, and hopes, and family
