A Daguerrotype

They’re an elderly couple

in their Sunday best,

side by side on a bench

in front of the Summerside Laundromat.

Not even the air moves.

Absorbed in reading,

they listen for the rumble

in the dryer to stop spinning.

They feed each other

peanuts and marzipan.

Few words exchanged.

They sense if each other

has to pee or poop,

is too hot or cold,

hungry or tired,

worried, or in pain,

or quietly at ease.

A silent dialogue

between souls.

Intimate moments,

are well practiced.

Nary a word is said

when a body

needs to be touched.

With effortless effort,

a life force flows

from one to the other,

as it should.