I miss

 

I miss the ease of tender loving

Long gone

I miss the simple way of things

Holding hands with my beloved

Walking together

Going out for a meal

Or even just a coffee

Or a beer.

I miss so many things

That others take for granted,

Don’t even notice

In the busyness of their lives.

And yet

And yet, my love

You are still with me

Standing firm

By my side

Fighting for a better life 

And love is not lost

Only strengthened

By the incessant illness

That seeks always 

To separate

And destroy.

8.7.10

This poem was written 12 years ago. It is still as relevant today. So many things are lost, have been lost seemingly forever, at least forever since the illness first banished me from normality and trapped us in an invisible underworld where few venture to look. And that was over a quarter of a century ago. It was a long enough time back in 2010, it is so much longer now and the years in between have been harrowing. Yet still we love. Still we have compassion. Still we hold onto hope.