Turned Tables

What if the tables had been turned... And it was her, looking at me Seeing what the eyes can't believe And what the heart can't embrace I'm looking into sorrow's face The sadness wraps itself around her Like a blanket of grey fog A face so pale, so ashen and cold as a winter's day Betrayed and abandoned by her youth The girl she used to be....why can't I find a trace? A youth taken away by choices, By circumstance, by life experiences By things that I cannot know My memory of her has been stolen away In this unexpected, brief encounter I swallow tears in my grief, as I mourn the vision That had been tucked away in my heart for so long Is it regret, or is it a guilt I cannot name? A friendship born in childhood, so young, so carefree She, with bright eyes, and blond hair that curled Around her high cheeks and rosy smile She was the one who shined so brightly, Who's charm, who's gay laughter I had so admired A childhood where we danced together in sweet grass under sunny skies Where is the innocence, the radiance? No longer there, not even a glimpse of the girl I knew Oh, how I weep inside Now, here, this meeting by chance After years that had taken us to seperate worlds In my mind, and in my dreams, she had always been The fair maiden, the one who had held my hand Two little girls who made promises Who sat in the dark, under a summertime sky By the light of the moon and wished upon the stars. The stars now gone from her sad eyes, the look of weary miles Now fill the void ......as one more time..... we say our goodbye. What if the tables were turned And it was her, looking at me..... ...................................................................................................... In honor of Desiree's Contest "What If"