You and I

Sleep is but a memory.
It’s the tide that slips onto the shore,
Leaving dreams washed up on the beach.
There are daisies on my mind, a wrinkled blanket 
Left in a field under the midday sun.
I went away so I could come back. 
Didn’t want to, but it was important that I did.
Held the hand of a little girl, snapshot
In my mind
Her strawberry blonde hair shining, tiny face
Smiling up at me as ice cream melts.
I wake up crying, arms reaching out …
She was never mine and I don’t want her,
But my mind is trying to convince me I do.

Wandered the aisles of Hannaford, looking
For shampoo and conditioner. 
It made me smile because
It made me think of you
And that poem I wrote so many memories ago,
And now my mind is stuck on you. 
We’ve come so far together, 13 months, 
Been through so much, with you next to me,
The hours we’ve spent together, your arms around me, 
Looking at the clouds, playing games with your family. 
Helped you paint your room storm gray, you
Hugged me from behind and left warmth on my skin just like you did 13 months ago, for the first time,
Caught me by surprise, made me smile
Just as you always do.
Dancing in your backyard, our song playing,
Our foreheads pressed together, your name
Resting on my lips.
You were the first person I told “I love you” and 
The first person to truly touch my heart.

Sun dappled skin and hair, thoughts like shadows 
Of Christmas lights and catbirds crying, 
A reflection in a pond of two people in love…
The sun set last night, burning out
Behind the trees.
It startled me to think 
That they’d not yet caught fire
And the same process would happen again
Tomorrow.