Impassively the caretaker sits back observing
Uncertain what purpose his life may be serving
Existence for naught especially perplexing
Existence for reason evermore so vexing

Whispers from another time far away
Accompanied by small footsteps down a distant hallway
To vanish leaving nary a trace
Of lives begun with such verve and grace
Only to move on

From the threshold to another home in the fray
Making him wonder about lives torn asunder
As he ponders the meaning of all he surveys
The domain of the caretaker a deserted castle in haze

With diminished vigor and dwindling resource
The caretaker shouts as he battles vague forces
Of personal destruction and nagging self doubt
To all in his path he is apt to lash out

Down empty hallways and vacant rooms with stale air
Little more than a drifting vessel in a sea of despair
Bequeathed to repair and put back together
A chore which most certainly will take him forever

The years have gone by as the caretaker keeps watch
Not questioning his drive nor the ache in his loins
With support eroding, his soul filled with foreboding
None will accept his fear nor emotional unloading

Jim Ganley
Bow, New Hampshire, USA

Copyright © Jim Ganley, All rights reserved

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