Living Zen Life

this is home now
cold spring skies
woodpecker in the pine
marine layer mornings
all the lovely evenings.

Years working downtown
my cubicle window
watching ferries 
cross the Salish sea,
water mountains sky.

No way to remember 
all our memories here -
Carol and Tom.
Friends we knew are here still
with whom we shared life.
They remember her well
remain good to me.

I have new friends now,
for a time stepping away
not for loving them less
caring for her memory more.

Alone, I drink wine on my veranda 
remembering evenings.
We shared these moments
through the seasons.
Planning life now
I have no one like her to talk to
over a nice glass of wine
or other of the
libations that life offers.
Perhaps I need a spiritual director
or a wise zen teacher?
No. Those won't do. 
No one can replace a love
sitting side by side 
through the days and nights
together.