Calling Hours

Tomorrow we will go back to school and work to stubbed toes and computer errors to leftovers for lunch and bad mufflers and yellow mums and pumpkins and Halloween costumes for the kids but today today we are at Calling Hours.
The name for this is Calling Hours archaic beloved plywood of built tradition where we stand in line counting mourners wondering how our tally will measure up remembering being the teenage grandchild coolness and sullen stare misplaced remember being the smallest grandchild in tight black shoes remember being son daughter spouse in that twilight world of sleepless reheated lasagna and not sunk in yet remember being here among friends and strangers murmuring shock and weather forecasts sliding our eyes towards the casket as we wait in line at calling hours wait together where we will return another day to stand in line for each other’s calling hours calling we are all calling we are just as Seuss said we are calling we are here
We
Are
Here,
Calling