Life in a Nutshell

Photo from author's personal collection.

It goes by at the speed of light—

becomes a blur of faces and events

“remembers” and “forgets,”

and yet I know you, your face is still the same;

the hair a bit different,

but my memory of you is ingrained.

We were friends on another plane,

in another lifetime where two children played;

where my friends were yours

and yours were mine.

We were teenagers,

passing in the school halls,

laughing at private jokes.

Time gets away from us—

it leaves us floundering

in awkward moments and half-baked dreams.

There is a finite line where once-merged paths

branch away from each other;

a place were once aimless goals

turn inward to focus upon whom we are

and what we’ll become.

Yet, even after a lifetime, almost two,

I still know your voice—

you are indelibly tattooed

into the white matter of my brain.

Today, childhood came running over to hug me;

       And I? I hugged her back!

© Ginny Brannan 2018

Today I heard my name and looked up into the face of a dear old friend. We are in touch on Social Media, but more than 40 years have passed since we last saw each other. What a wonderful thing to see her again!!