An In-Between Time

He hasn’t quite left her,
she hasn’t quite given up.
The children have grown and gone,
echoes from empty rooms
make the house seem larger.
He baits a hook for a mermaid
but has not yet made a cast,
she dreams of a journey’s promise
but has not yet packed her bag.
It’s an in-between time of life
after the garden is harvested
but not cleaned up for next year.