Her laughter echoed, soft and rare.
A modest house, yet a kingdom to me,
With her smile as its crown, her love the decree.

I kissed her cheek as the morning began,
The kids rushed in with their plans.
Chaos wrapped in joy, a melody so sweet,

A life so simple,
Yet
A life complete, with nothing more.

We planted roses in the afternoon sun,
Watched them grow as the seasons spun.
In her arms at night, I found my rest,
A life of love, a life so blessed.

But under a moonlit, silver glow,
Her voice faltered, her words came slow.
Her eyes, once bright, grew heavy with pain,
“Maybe you should wake up now,” she said again.

The room grew silent, stars lost their gleam,
Her touch, once warm, faded like a dream.

I reached for her hand, but she slipped away.

I froze, my heart a frantic plea,
“Don’t leave, please stay, just stay with me.”
But the walls dissolved, the colors bled,
I woke in darkness, alone in my bed.

The air was cold, my breath was thin,
Reality now a violent sin.
A dream that slipped through time’s cruel sands,
A life not in my hands.

Shaking, I reached for the pen,
To relive the dream again and again.

For in these verses, she never dies,
Her laughter lives, her love still flies.
And though I wake to a world apart,
She’s inked forever into my heart.