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.