I had a heart friend of many years who cautioned me about the two letter word, if.  You inject that word into your thinking she said and you change the entire history.  Spare yourself that heartache,  she cautioned.  Spare yourself.  Many times one wonders had another road been taken what would the results of a lifetime be.  For those of an introspective bent, it is hard not to wonder.  Since all aspects are taken into consideration, the prospect dims when one realizes that what was to be, was.  And for that, in the final analysis,  the gratitude then is immense.

If We Had. . .and Truth Be Known. . .

Her grey hair was tied up
in a knot with an elastic band
with wisps circling her face.

Not neat in any way but
ends swinging as if the
haircut was long overdue;
her smile was now and
the joy present.

Her long coat swung,
circling her ankles.
His coat also swirled
close to the ground;
his beret rakishly setting
low on one brow.

His smile matched
the rakish set of his beret
and their hands linked to each other,
swung happily between them.

I want to grow old like that,
I said and knew you saw them
as I did.  You grinned.
Like that, you said and saw
they were happy, joy filled.

We shed our stifling cocoons
for a time that day but
we did not grow old as
we saw we could be.
It could not anymore be yours
than mine.  If we had,
and truth be known,

I would have walked on water for you.

painting by Claudia Hallissey