SILENTLY AWAY

SILENTLY AWAY (LORRIE) AS I LIE HERE IN THE DARKNESS IN MY YEARS THEY CALL DECEMBER, I SEE HER FACE BEFORE ME, HEAR THE LAUGHTER I REMEMBER. FEEL THE PAIN DEEP IN MY HEART THAT NEVER GOES AWAY. TASTE THE TEARS UPON MY FACE, DREAD THE COMING OF EACH DAY. SHE WAS LORRAINE WHEN I MET HER, SOON BEGAN TO CALL HER LORRIE, AND WE BEGAN TO TURN EACH PAGE, CREATING OUR LOVE STORY. ENERGY AND LAUGHTER FILLING EACH SUCCEEDING DAY, NOT NOTICING THE DAYS OF YOUTH SLIP SILENTLY AWAY. MIDDLE YEARS GONE QUICKLY, THE YEARS THEY CALL JULY. HOMES AND JOBS AND CHILDREN, EMPTY NESTERS BY AND BY. TIME AND TREASURE THEN TO SPEND, GOOD HEALTH, DREAMS COMING TRUE, FORGETTING LIFE IS FRAGILE, DAYS MAY BE MANY OR BE FEW. THEN LATER YEARS LIKE GLOW OF YOUTH SLIP SILENTLY AWAY. MORNING RUNS BECOME JUST WALKS, HAIR SLOWLY TURNS TO GREY. ENERGY TO LETHARGY, GOOD LOOKS TO SLOW DECAY. THE WATERFALL AROUND THE BEND, CLOSER EVERY DAY. EACH DAY A TIME TO CHERISH, TO ENJOY THE NOW NOT NEVER, BELIEVING THAT OUR EBBING TIME COULD SOMEHOW LAST FOREVER. EACH PASSING YEAR ANOTHER YEAR TO ADD TO THOSE REMEMBERED, BUT FOR HER THEY STOPPED FOREVER IN HER YEARS THEY CALL NOVEMBER . FOR THEN CAME THAT DREADFUL MORNING, I FOUND LORRIE COLD BESIDE ME, HELD HER HEAD BETWEEN MY FINGERS, HELD OUR MEMORIES INSIDE ME, AND THEN I KNEW FOR CERTAIN, CLOSING OF THAT AWFUL DAY, MY REASON TO KEEP LIVING HAD SLIPPED SILENTLY AWAY. AND ONCE A YEAR THEY TAKE ME TO THE PLACE WHERE LORRIE'S LYING. MY HANDS WARM THE STONE ABOVE HER, FEEL SHE KNOWS I’M CRYING. HOPE MY TEARS WILL TRICKLE DOWN AND IN THE EARTH THEY'LL FIND HER, PRAY THAT SOON THEY'LL BRING ME TO FOREVER LIE BESIDE HER. SO I LIE HERE IN THE DARKNESS IN MY YEARS THEY CALL DECEMBER. I SEE LORRIE'S FACE BEFORE ME, HEAR THE LAUGHTER I REMEMBER. FEEL THE PAIN DEEP IN MY HEART THAT NEVER GOES AWAY. TASTE THE TEARS UPON MY FACE, DREAD THE COMING OF EACH DAY. BUT THE DARKNESS THAT I LIE IN WILL BECOME ETERNAL DAY, AND THE GULF THAT NOW DIVIDES US WILL MELT SILENTLY AWAY. SOON THE DARKNESS THAT I LIE IN WILL BECOME ETERNAL DAY, AND THE GULF THAT NOW DIVIDES US WILL MELT SILENTLY AWAY. ELLIS CRAIG, DECEMBER 2022.