People file by
Like so many years
Compressed into a two hour line.
You came to my mom’s
And I came to your dad’s
But we were both away
When our others had passed.
So we didn’t speak for years
And held grudges like
Barnacles still encrusted,
Still giving shape to a ship
Long since sunk and rusted away.
It’s been three days I’ve been
waiting for my period now.
The snow is sparkling and
The sky is blue. It’s cold.
It’s been cold now it seems
Like forever.
Forever. The word fills me with
Dread. Nothing lasts forever.
Not in this life. Certainly not
My life. Sometimes my period
Feels like it will never end.
And this one will never start.
Christ, hold me. My friend told
Me that joy isn’t some random
Thought that comes and goes
Like snow and wind.
It can be cultivated, nourished,
Brought forth upon reflection,
With effortless focus.
Like now. Here it comes. At last.
February 18, 2014