The years

I took my seat behind you
In tenth grade World History class
And I stared at the back of your head,
Your dark brown hair falling toward me
Like a deep chocolate waterfall
As the teacher's voice droned on.
I would bask in the warmth
Of your smiling face, as you
Turned to talk to me in class.

I have stopped my progression
Down the hallway, before class,
Caught by the bright blue of your dress
Where we shared sweet secrets in the dim morning light;
Others passed us by, ignoring
The flame just now lit between us.

I have walked down Nelson Street
And, glancing in a store window,
Was given a vision which reminded
Me of your form in a brown Winter coat
Now hanging magically before me
From a storefront window in Virginia.

I have walked shyly down wet streets
In the French Quarter in New Orleans,
Bumping my shoulder against yours
Laughing at the clowns and drunks
Lost in their own meandering
Unnoticed by the masses gathered
In the alcoholic haze of midnight
And the dawn of a New Year.

I have stood in the sunshine of the altar of a church
In Orange County, California
Straining to catch a shy look
From your eyes as you stepped gingerly
Down the aisle on your father's arm,
All white lace and flowers
Wilting slowly in the heat of August.

I have stood in the darkness of early morning
Holding your hand against the pain and struggle
As a little girl was born in Atlanta
Her copper hair turning first blonde
Then brown through the years
Her sly smile a reminder of smiles seen before,
So that her beauty provides true reflection
Of the beauty from which she came

And I have driven in our car
To places near and far
And felt the quick compulsion
To take your hand and feel the softness
Of your skin against my fingertips
And know the eternity in that moment
Feel the electricity flow through my arms
My heart thumping a deep tattoo in my chest
The same beating first felt
On a simpler stage in a high school cafeteria