Bittersweet

We hear words that take us away

memories of holiday and days of long ago,

gathering bittersweet and weighing it out

plucking the beautiful and leaving the rest go

to re seed another day,

a chance encounter with our history

each berry of thought strung along

on stems of growth.

Our arms grow wider to encompass many

trying to carry them along on our way

perhaps to save the sweetest for a rainy day

as we linger behind panes of glass

longing to once again play

at games of life we had forgotten.

Red light green light step over the crack

hopscotch through each memory with a smile

wondering where did all of this time go,

mismatched clothes of hand-me-downs

and sneakers just a bit too tight

for money so short

we never asked for more

for enough was just enough

and as we lay down to sleep

her hands lovingly touch the vase

of colors we had plucked in fields

down the dusty dirt path

where we explored just a bit too far

and found the highway of souls rushing past,

we retreated back into the safety

of the wilderness safari,

observing the frogs and grasshoppers

and moving things

when life was easy

and thoughts not so cluttered by today,

bittersweet remembrances

of yesterday once more.