The circle stain of a cold
glass of sugar free sweet tea
sweating down the slick sides
still strips the finish of my surface.

The tobacco stains on the wall
leaves a smell of tar and smoke
that trigger memories of times
when every chair was full

Old women sat around placemats.
They cackled and gossiped of goings on
teasing the kids with greedy hands
asking for candies and cake

They ran through halls
and down steps to the basement,
where the vent above their heads
gave hints of conspiracies of long nights

I saw them live,
eyes grew tired and old.
soon the basement laid empty and
laughs became talks of memories.

chairs emptied one by one
till it was only she sitting at the head.
Struggling to breathe through smoke stains,
on the cusp of that final Journey

Where the table is full of sisters and friends
laughter roars between sips of sweet tea,
and they listen through the floor
to the sound of kids in the basement.

---

Cole Beard is a 29 year-old college student majoring in parks and recreation at Western Kentucky University.