After his wife of 60 years died,
the one with whom he’d raised
two sons, he lived alone for a few
empty months and then drove
to Tennessee to his wife’s cousin
who could have been her twin–
bleached blond, long polished
nails and the same soft drawl
and after a while married her,
brought her back to the empty house
and tried to carry on the old life
as best he could.