Her neighbor’s children
Are awake
Before the roosters crow,
And even in gray October
They play
In their treehouse
Before the sun rises

Drinking coffee on the patio,
As cool as it is,
She remembers thirty years ago
When a swing held
Her two children

She wonders:
Are ghosts real?

Katherine Darlington has articles in many publications including poetry anthologies, along with several published novels. When she isn’t riding horses or hiking on some mountain trail, she’s working on a story. See more of her work at katherinedarlington.com.