redwinterroses

Where were we
when the coming of the rain
made us turn from conversation to the window?

In distant fields maybe,
or the jungle of our minds,
and as we talked
we were with others, not ourselves.

I was thinking of old birthdays and holidays gone wrong
and pretty people seen on streetcars
but never met.
All the heart aches I've ever had
and the dull aching in my chest.

Did you think of arguements and broken promises
words that were never said
or that never should have been?
All the moments shared with other people
who never took you for granted.

The mind is such a junkyard;
it remembers candy bars
but not the Gettysburg Address,
Elvis Presley's middle name
but not the reason a fight was started.
Just that you wish it never had.

If in your mind there is some corner
not yet occupied
with numbers you may never need,

remind your memory of the day
we turned to watch the rain
and turning back forgot
that we belonged to one another.