Dialogue
by
Robert H. Dirr Jr. and Barbara C. Dirr
He:
Some times, in the heat of night, an icy breeze prowls down my back,
Triggering notions of mortality and preordained installments of providence.
Grandma always told me the young can go but the old must go, and I consider
The twinkle in her eyes as she reminisced about delicious days gone by.
She:
Half asleep beside you, the almond scent of your skin so familiar, I too hear
The breeze whispering of the end of things. Limping and creaking, we two
Wreckages of war and grief still cling to the wispy promise of joy, unable to
Blow out the candle. (Although the world is leaving us for dead)
He:
Why ponder the remnants of days predetermined, and be anxious about age?
The unforeseen and unpredicted need not smother the flames of life, for
We are not released by living, but by passing from this world to another.
Yesterday is mislaid, tomorrow is not assured and today is breathing!
She:
Yes, today is breathing and its breath is warm and fragrant like the apple scented
Candle on the coffee table. Today is the fire in the hearth, the expected snowstorm,
The chili simmering on the stove, the smell of clean sheets, and the anticipation
Of your arms around me in the darkness. Yes, today is enough.
He:
So the piques of annoyance, we sometimes encounter, though short and insipid,
Are paltry events that lead us to be simpler and more selfless in our association.
You are you and I am I, but together it is the "We" that lifts us beyond death's
Threatening intrusions. As long as I am among the living , I will love you.
She:
Trusting the "We", tiptoeing beyond ego into an untried landscape, I stumble sometimes,
Panic and flail, for you hide like the glint of jewel within a geode I dare not break.
And so I will be satisfied with the smile that warms me like bourbon neat, with the arms
That hold eternity at bay, and this approaching apple scented evening.
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