Hi, Martin, I liked this poem; in fact, had to come back and read it a second time. You know, it would only be half as good if it weren't for the great title. There's a subtle and morbid humor at play beneath this otherwise bland description of a day at the park. Joseph and Laurie, the modern day shepherds, seem equally helpless, even though one has Alzheimer's and one does not. And the pastoral setting seems a bit sullied with potato chip crumbs and duck poop. And to call their outing a "semidetached" date! Formerly I have only seen the term in "for rent" ads in the paper, i.e., in an architectural sense ... or rather, a woeful lack of architectural sense.