Faces of Stone

by Richard King Perkins II

Andrew Ling

You thought I might have an attachment

to an unused postcard

from a trip we took to the Black Hills back in ‘99.

You said you found it

while going through things to give to Goodwill

and offered to send it  to me

in a padded mailer or a large envelope.

I laughed and asked if you

could just put a stamp on it and give it  to the letter carrier.

It was delivered a few minutes ago

along with  a credit card statement and advertising  from State Farm.

I don’t know why I was surprised to find

that it says nothing

which pretty much says it all.

*

Richard King Perkins II is a state-sponsored advocate for residents in long-term care facilities. He lives in Crystal Lake, Ill., with his wife, Vickie, and daughter, Sage. He is a three-time Pushcart, Best of the Net and Best of the Web nominee whose work has appeared in more than a thousand publications.