Dimming Tide by Mary McReynolds

And so odd, as we speak of
death and dying, all the
slips as time goes away
always ready for the next
thing to do, to think, to
see things through.

Even the base mundane
takes push and shove
elicits tears when we see
the total limits of our love.

Dull eyes take in the scenes
before and after and
somehow it just doesn't
matter any more.

I mean to say I see you
and I don't, the filter
dims this light so brilliant
once with life now
covered with a sleepy veil.

Mary McReynolds, author of Wells of Glory (Crossway Books, 1996), holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Creative Studies from the University of Central Oklahoma. Other books in print include Redeeming Love: The Legacy of the Deaconess Ladies, The Tapeworm Emails, What the Seven Thunders Uttered, and Seeds and Stems: A Poetic Collection. McReynolds lives in northwest Arkansas with her husband of 47 years, James McReynolds, a retired journalist with The Oklahoman newspaper.