Aftershocks (a dream)

Exactly how we met -

the place, the feelings,

the moment in time -

still stands clearly 

in my mind

However, today

it is not important

Similarly memorable

are the years we spent -

the places we saw,

the people we met,

and the nights we’d lay out

combing stars to find Orion,

letting the night wash over

us

But none of that, today

is what is important

Not even the day

I heard the news -

that she’d been pulled

from a three-car pile-up 

at that god damn intersection

on her way home

to me

No, that will not

be discussed 

on such an occasion

What is important today - 

our anniversary - 

is the light she brought

into my world

and that still shines

on my every day

Like a stone slab,

my blinds had become

so accustomed to 

their setting,

that when she came 

to throw them back,

to fill my space with light,

the shock sent tremors

through my world -

aftershocks that

have not ceased

So today -

on the first of these days

that I must spend alone -

I will relish the warmth

of her aftershocks

and I’ll see her face

in the morning light