The Thing about Dying

by Jeff Tigchelaar

Today on a remote trail I encountered
a man, and as we were passing he said
Beautiful morning
and I said Yes it is
and he said I bet
you didn’t think you’d die today
and I said No I didn’t but
it would happen this way, wouldn’t it

but he didn’t really say
the thing about dying; that part
was only in my head.
What he actually said was
It’s my first time out here! I’m Keith!
To which I replied
Ah! Nice! I’m Jeff! Second time. Great spot. Enjoy the trail!
Keith was very smiley and heavyset,
with a white beard and a golden retriever
who was just as smiley as Keith
and who should’ve been on a leash, but oh well 

Jeff Tigchelaar’s poems have appeared in publications including Harpur Palate, Hunger Mountain, Heavy Feather Review, Handsome, Hobart, and North American Review. His blog, Stay-at-Home Pop Culture, is published by XYZ Topeka Magazine, and his first poetry collection, Certain Streets at an Uncertain Hour: The Kansas Papers, is forthcoming from Woodley Press.