Sitting across
From you enjoying
The time we have
Together, knowing
It won’t last forever,
Wishing it would,
Words that bring
Us joy and sorrow.
There are times when
She still speaks to me
In the middle of some
Mundane task or
Important event.
I’m grateful to hear
Her, remembering what
It was like to
Have her near.
Things that seemed so commonplace
Now holding places of distinction
In memory, minor now major,
The passage of time imparting
New depth of color and hue
To what was once easily overlooked,
Were it not too late already.
She sits next to me and
We talk about
The time we were on
A plane and couldn’t
Stop laughing because
Of a joke we made up,
And the trip we took
To the island where
I learned to swim and
Where we spent hours
Looking for shells in
Balmy tide pools.
We talk about everything:
Our hopes, dreams,
Things that bother us,
Fears, disappointments.
We smile openly,
She vanishes.
With the imminent departure, the
Maelstrom begins. Whirling out of
Control, compelled by latent
Tendencies writhing unconsciously
To the occasion, disordered,
Unstoppable, unlistening.
Stumble through each moment
Anticipating the unfathomable
Conclusion. Clear away all vestiges of
Reason. Something might change,
It usually doesn’t. Adhere to
Unconsciousness, passing.
