She entered the door
Found her apron
Her gentle fingers intertwined
Forming a delicate bow in the back

She gazed
Into the mirror
And saw the unfamiliar face
Worn and fading staring back at her.
But she smiled,
And opened the door
To the kitchen
Where the familiar faces stood
Smiling, warmly, back at her.

She grabbed the serving spoon
And joined her friends behind the counter.

She then scooped the mashed potatoes,
and the whole line filed through
Claiming their food,
Appreciative, and smiling.

The worst part of the day
Was the end
When she had to watch
The families leave the soup kitchen
Children in tattered clothing,
With dirty faces
Clutched their parent’s hands tight.

Dot smiled as she walked
Into the back room
Untying her food-stained apron
With the same gently hands,
That were now worn
From the long day.

She carefully hung her apron
On the same hook
That it had hung
For the past eight years.

She grabbed her faded leather purse
From under the desk,
Her gentle hands now fumbling,
Searching, for her car keys.

She walked slowly
Across the parking lot.
Looking at her 12 year old Lincoln
As it stared back at her.
She unlocked the always faithful car,
And carefully stepped inside,
Embracing the welcoming smell
Of pipe tobacco and peppermint
The smell of Trey.

She drove home
Eyes glued to the road
But distant
As if she was thinking about something else.


She parked Trey’s beat up Lincoln
Next to her car,
The once brand new BMW
That sat in the garage,
Untouched.
Undriven.
The same it had been since January 26, 2003.

She entered through the huge double doors
Opening into her lavish house
Filled with floor to ceiling windows
And amazing views of the lake

The house felt lonely though
The only comfort found
In the numerous pictures of him
Scattered around the house

The house felt empty
Every gently tip toe
Now a never ending echo
Against the deep wooden floors
A constant reminder of the vacancy.

No amount
Of pictures
Or lavish cars
Able to fill the void

And to the world,
She was just the lonely old lady
In the monstrous house
At the top of the hill
Who volunteered at the soup kitchen.