"time, gentlemen" - a letter to my aunt

I remember the walk you and I took in the Woods of Powell River, nearly thirty years ago –

              We didn’t need to talk; we just drank it in – kindred spirits

               And the photo of the two of us – so alike

I will remember our chats –

               You told me your stories and shared your life with me

You loved to bake banana muffins – me too

               We also shared a love for knitting

But, most importantly, we both loved to swim

Recently you told me you were getting lazy –

When I asked why, you said:

"Last year I swam in the ocean 80 times

and this year I only swam 52 times"

Not bad for an nonagenarian

You frequently asked me my age –

               When I said 39, you said it made you feel young

               And we had a laugh. We always had a laugh

Thank you for calling me every year to wish me happy birthday

Thank you for always ending our calls with “I love you”

Thank you for being someone I admired

I will miss our chats –

When we last spoke on that last Friday

               You recalled the first time you saw me, when I came to Malta

               I was 4 years old,

and you could still describe the coat I was wearing

I said my last Goodbye to you, Aunt Vera –

               And I cried when you said, “Time, Gentlemen”.

Love always,

Your niece, Cecile.