Funny how the gift of one soft moment is only recognized
In the sharpness of its disappearance;
In the harshness of the void
When the insignificant details
That were nothing but edges to a forgotten minute
Take on the weight
Of the world,

And suddenly, that small moment
Swells with the power to curl
Inside your heart and burst it
At the seams,

And in your mind,
Flash images of all of those things you never
Appreciated nearly enough;
Never savored like you would,
Had you known that
In the blackness of the night
They would disappear

Like dust.

Every trickle of morning rain into the rushing of the creek
Every solid step I can still take along the banks

Every breath

Every breath

Every breath

And every time I caress my son’s cheek
And every time I can still feel his tiny arms
Wrapped around my waist
And every time

I should drop to my knees in thanks.

My daughter’s face alight because she can spell her name
And how their footsteps echo on the stairs
Like rain

Caught in a moment in time.

And, I can see now that

It will change.

So, let me hold them
Like gravity
Holds the stars
And let me clutch you now in these small moments that are still ours.

And in gratitude
Let me hold these fleeting minutes in my palms,

Like the tears of angels

Like holy water

That rains upon desert

And is gone.