It's been awhile since we've met up
been awhile since you've stopped lighting up my dark eyes
or bringing out my crooked teeth from underneath
my paper thin dreary gray lips
it seems like it's been forever since the day
my lungs were still able to take air for granted
because back then my throat didn't close up
and my lips weren't clamped shut to contain the void
left inside after my voice had fled
I can still vaguely recall how it felt back then
waking up each morning in a light *****, energetic
springy, vibrant body; legs as weightless as twigs
and feet so free like flower petals
with shoulders that would carry the world for someone
because there were not yet any rocks slung at them
and not yet any burdens piled on top
I definitely remember all the colors and the warmth in the breeze
when life was a beautiful huge sunset in the afternoon
and a cascade of freckled stars and shimmering moon
during the night
before the sun suddenly became a signal for the start
of another reluctant day and the night turned into
sorrowful darkness seeping into my bones throughout the night
and I most certainly wish I could step back through the folds of time
and relive that brief yet steady moment
when waking up didn't feel like such a burden
and you were still around tucked in my chest
stocked up with laughter
as the medicine to whatever pain I ended up succumbing to.