[doorways]

i saw the door open as i was walking away. i looked over my shoulder to see an old man stepping out onto the sidewalk, a step below. he turned and stood there, holding the door open. out walked the cutest little old woman. she was wrapped up in her coat, a tiny flower pinned to her lapel. as he stood there waving to the people in the diner they were leaving, i smiled. the woman steadied herself as she reached out to him with her free hand, a cane in the other. the thought of them leaving the familiar behind and walking off, together, into the unknown came to my mind for some reason. it's naive to associate death with old age, youth doesn't guarantee a long life. as she took his hand i thought about their journey, and what it would be like to brave something new, something unfamiliar, armed with only the person you love. the person you share your life with. hand in hand, leaving everything else behind you. but it rarely works out that way. someone is always left behind, staring at a door. waiting for it to open. waiting for a return.