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Why Is Life That Way

© Ben Burton 6/18/2016

It's difficult to feel good
When you see
A long lost loved one
The meeting predicated
On the death of another
You both loved
But, at least one of you
Barely saw at all
Once those early years were gone
So you hug
And you grieve
And you talk
With an air of discomfiture
Merely making conversation
While wondering how it happened
For excuses are just that
If you seize the time and own it
With the will to make it happen
One more good, back home reunion
But... the kids had things to do
Then, their kids had more to do
Though there is no right or wrong
In decisions of the heart
Always intended to
Somehow life got in the way
And the time had moved along
Was life bursting? Bustling
With imperatives
Far more important
Than spending time
Some of that precious, little time
With those who knew you well
Back then
Inside your photo album
Is the proof of all that once was
Those memories still linger
Fondly, sometimes, tearfully
Of your dear relatives
Those who share your blood
But as you've gotten older
It's like you barely know
The one behind the face
Who was a centerpiece
In your long-ago life
For whom you still feel love
But it's hard to love a stranger
As deeply as your family
Yet...that is who they are
Your béloved family
Whom you see occasionally
In that photo album
But infrequently face-to-face
Until another death
In your dying family
But you swear to stay in touch
And you mean it
And they mean it
Then, time melts even more
And yet another dies
The funeral reunites
Repetition draped in heartache
For what you could have done
But did not do
But, hey!
Neither did they
So you shake your head and say
"Why is life that way?"
Yet and still
You've got tomorrow
But so little time to waste
For soon comes that reunion
Where the late, béloved centerpiece
Is you

Copyright © Ben Burton | Year Posted 2016

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