Emmaus

I overtook him on the road to Emmaus
and we walked together discussing

what better path I might have chosen
given the lay of the land, the slope of trail

whether or not the Pass was closed.
He so favored my dead brother,

I could not take my eyes from him
And asked him to supper.

He said yes, and the light, it seemed,
followed us home,

where he sat beside me
until I was sure of who he was;

I then reached for a plate of figs,
turned back to his empty chair.

What did I expect
in the chill autumnal air?

Jackson Wheeler