Meeting

As I come to the service, an awkward guilt sits in the distance formed between us.
To avoid being disappointedly expectant, I hide hopes that the sancuary's warmth
Will shatter the ice crystals hanging.
Coming down the aisle, you lead me to a seat.
Anticipation starts rising
As more people start coming
And crowd within this building.
The back doors are closing,
Separating us from Earth,
And absorbing us into better world.


The first guitar strum brings our anticipation to a peak,
Converting it into adrenaline as we stand peering
On the edge of the connection
For which we've both been waiting
And longing
And thirsting.

I sing and my soul is set free.
I breathe.
I breathe a breath
That seems my first successful breath
In decades.

I see your hand reaching
And welcoming
And beckoning.
How long has it stayed there,
Unnoticed?
How much gentle touch...
How much precious time
Have I missed?
I raise my hand.
Our fingers intertwine.
I sense I'm holding your hand,
But you're really holding mine.
My hand is consumed with the unnatural size.
Here,
Right here,
In the gap
Between our palms,
You feel so real.
So unbelievably real.


I had forgotten that you were.