A NICHE

It was strange and nice
to find at once the place I needed,
a small room in a niche in a stone wall
by walled tombs and on gravel paths
graves with their sea of headstones.
I went in, there was a heater
and a young woman at a computer
asking me at once to close the door.
I told her about the small lamp, switched off,
by my grandmother, she checked,
the screen beeped, payments were ok,
she would see to it.
I thanked and left closing carefully the door.
Small place, a small settled thing
and I felt accomplished. I had already
brought my flowers, lilies this time
and also a red rose.

Once more while leaving
I sensed the need of settled spaces,
small rooms to recognise and the hedges
of things to trim, a few beeps and
a few lines with our names,
on this shore by the enveloping sea.