So long ago
we watched the gray day
unfold along the riverbank,
the seagulls hunkering down
on the pilings
while you and I
stood in the rain and kissed
Every sense was eerily
heightened and even now
I can hear the pattering of
droplets on the umbrella fabric
keeping rhythm, accompanied
by the low tones of the ships' horns,
the dismayed chatter of the birds
in the trees above, complaining
about the chill and the wet
how your face looked
in the dimness of morning
with lamplight reflecting
in your eyes as
you saw me,
really saw me
your warm mouth,
lips so tender at first
then more urgent in their
message of love
your breathing
matched mine
and
time stood still
under that canopy
kissing one another
as we contemplated
our future together
a future we never saw
I blink
and the memory is gone
but pictures in my mind remain,
black and white images
of that day stay with me
the hollow sound of
your laughter
echoing
You didn't think the gulls
would stand still for me
as I snapped photos of them
so close I could reach out and
touch their feathers...
but docile in their cold
winter state they just
stared back at me