The Last Summer Poem by Lynn W. Petty

I passed them while they were picnicking
On a bench overlooking the sea,
These two lovers.
She was dressed in a yellow dress.
Her straw hat, halo-like,
Was tied with a lace bow beneath her chin.
He was in white linen pants,
A striped blue on white shirt, and white shoes.
They sat very close.
Their small wicker basket was on his lap.
She held her cup between her trembling
Hands; he helped her to drink.
With little bites, she would chew the crustless
Finger sandwiches he held to her mouth.
He looked deep within her face,
As if etching her likeness on his memory,
Never to forget the beauty of her countenance
As all things virtuous.
Lovingly, she looked into his eyes
With an expression of adoration and gratitude.
Together, they were loving to the end,
Those short delectable days of relived youth,
Where their passion began, not forsaking them in old age,
But a passion of a different kind.
It was as if they took comfort from the sorrow
Of departure through the joy of a remembered image
Of the other, from another time.
What other emotion, than love, is worth
This bittersweet pain?