His fingers count the worry beads -
the number is the same;
but when his memory tries to tally years
he finds that most have gone,
like gaps where there were teeth,
like soldier sons.
He'll wear the black armband
until the end, because he loved
his wife, and then bequeath it to his blue-
eyed child, the daughter left behind.
Longer grow the autumn nights,
extinguishing the days.
*Kafeneion: traditional Greek coffee house,
traditionally frequented by men.