Always

He sees her and smiles.
She doesn't look, but he wants her to.
She feels his eyes on her hands as she writes,
On her face as she laughs.
They sit and talk for hours.
They sit and laugh together.
Laughter is the best medicine,
And she needed lots of the best.
She needed lots of him.
Others watch
And wonder.
Wonder how, and why.
But they can't miss the energy,
the light that comes
from the two.
The pure joy that radiates through every touch,
every glance,
every smile.
It fills rooms,
their happiness.
It fills their lives.
There wasn't always happiness, there isn't always happiness. It's hard. It's hard to be happy and to love and to feel.
But it is worth it.
Always.

--P.A.

Remembering

I remember school.
I remember the long days
And even longer weeks.
I remember the short weekends.
I remember the short teachers.
Teachers that loved me.
Teachers that I loved.
Teachers that I hated.
I remember the people.
I remember their different faces,
Their different voices,
Their different attitudes
And judgements.

I remember the books
The stories
The pictures.
I remember the days when she and I would come up with something ridiculous
And take it further than needed.
I remember the notebooks
And the plots
And the characters.
I remember the notes
And laughter.
I remember the ugly gossip,
The even uglier truth.
I remember happy times
And sad times
And the hard times.

I remember the trips.
I remember hours in the car.
I remember the heat of the sun on my face when I fell asleep.
I remember the music
The food
The jokes
The fights.
I remember the destinations.
I remember Disneyland.
I remember the buzz of excitement
And the thrill of surprises.
I remember going south.
I remember the friends,
The summer feel.

I will remember you.
I will remember the happiness,
The utter joy.
I will remember the words.
I will remember the hours.
I will remember dancing.
I will remember your touch.
I will remember your heart.

I will remember that night.
I will remember your smell.
I will remember the look of the sun on your face.
I remember lots of faces.
But I like your face best.
I will remember the feel of paper on my fingertips
Shaking, unsure.
I will remember the feeling of my heart pounding on my chest.
I will remember feeling the anticipation.
I will remember you.

--P.A.

Close

Close your eyes and feel. Feel the words, feel the heart.
Hearts are good for feeling. Sometimes. Sometimes they're just good for hurting.
But not right now. Not now. Now it won't hurt. I won't let it hurt, you won't let it hurt. We can all pull through and not hurt together, uniting our hearts under the anthems of summer and the wishes of the world.
Close your ears and taste. Taste the colors and sights.
Can we reach up and taste all of the heights and skies across the universe? yes.
But we won't get lost. We'll have each other and the map we drew with dotted lines that will keep us together even when we're apart. Because even when we're far away we will still feel close.

--P.A.