The Last Lunch at El Morro

Here’s the poem I told you about in my post on historical El Morro in Puerto Rico. As I rounded a corner on the Paseo del Morro I saw a man sitting on a bench underneath a beautiful old banyan tree. It looked like a Banyan tree to me. It seemed to me like he was waiting for something as he looked around. There was some magic in that moment that I can’t quite articulate.

Yes, I took some pictures (and video)😁 , my better half wondering why I was taking pictures of a stranger sitting under a tree. The words though were already taking shape in my mind. And here’s what I came up with. The ending may surprise you.

The Last Lunch

He sat on the bench waiting
checked the time on his phone
time slowed under the banyan tree
often when he was alone

He thought it was two
but it was just one forty three
seventeen more minutes
under his tree

until his last lunch was done
and it would all come to an end
he'd been sitting here since one
two sandwiches, no friend

Just like he has for the last 
forty five years
day in, day out
time disappeared

The banyan tree growing older
he did the same
gnarled branches and hands
in a single time frame

He looked at his phone again
he'd wait until three
today he'd be late
and then he'd be free

One final goodbye
he was down to the wire
no more banyan tree lunches
three more hours to retire

Ah the sense of freedom. Perhaps that’s the energy I was getting from the man. What would your story for him be?

If you haven’t read my post on El Morro, you can find it here https://lifewithalegria.com/2025/02/17/puerto-ricos-el-morro-a-fortified-adventure/

Enjoy my Instagram reel of the scene. It shows the tree in all its beautiful detail. Thanks for being here!

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