Time Froze

We met for coffee that normal Fall afternoon.
An odd and unusual event
Of which we thought nothing peculiar at the time.

We laughed about silly things,
Talked about how good things were going,
And then departed to our normal Fall evenings.

There were no arguments.
No rancor. No angst.
Just laughter and smiles.

That evening, when the call came,
Lightning struck our core.
Time froze.

Our family broke.
We all crumbled.
Our hearts were left in ruins.

But day by day, week by week,
We put the shattered pieces back together,
One tiny fragment at a time.

Some pieces are lost forever,
Like your laughter and your smile.
Your pieces.

Now, a year has passed,
Since that day we had coffee,
The day lightning struck.

We commemorate this day
As the day our family, our world,
Lost a lot of its sunshine.

And as time continues to pass,
I hope, eventually, to forget this day,
To forget why it's commemorated.

I want to forget it's sadness and pain
And replace it with
Happier memories of you.

Raindrops

The sounds of droplets against the window

Call distant memories to mind.

I'm thirty-six, staring past the window sill,

Drinking a glass of red wine.

I'm twenty-eight, working late,

Struggling against a deadline.

I'm twenty-one, kissing my boyfriend,

Our bodies intertwined.

I'm fifteen, writing in my journal,

Questioning mankind.

I'm eleven, drawing silly pictures,

Without direction or design.

I'm seven, staring out towards the sky,

My imagination unconfined.

The sound of raindrops brings back simpler moments

That real life leaves behind.

Sisterhood

Blood is thick,

But love is thicker,

And often that love comes from a friend.

Family is given,

But friends are chosen,

And the best ones never have to act or pretend.

Maybe you have that love

From your family,

And if so, you have luck many of us can't comprehend.

But I don't lose hope,

Because at my side
Is the love and compassion of my friend.

Our meetings are rare,
But when we get together
We talk about everything and laugh to no end.

We're so close
That we're mistaken for sisters!

It's a compliment we all commend.

We might not share blood,
But we have true friendship,
And it's made me come to understand

That sometimes blood ties
Just can't compare
To the sisterhood I have with my dear friend.

......................

* Dedicated to my girls. You know who you are.