the fading lights

he did

a little acting

in his day.

dinner theater mostly,

community

playhouses.

Hamlet in the round

while people

ate

roast beef

and drank bad wine.

he often quoted Shakespeare

or Eugene O'Neil

randomly

in conversation.

it was in his

blood, this acting

thing,

the call of the lights,

the stage.

i saw him at the mall

the other day,

getting his steps in.

he was wearing a long

blue cape,

reciting lines, rehearsing

for his next play.