A Lifelong Dream

A particular wisp of a memory has
been with me forever, since before
I'd lived enough years to really have
any profound memories; but then, I
can't be sure it isn't dream recollections
from some other life I lead. My
reminiscence consists of several distinct
threads. In one thread, I'm among friends
in the City as it was when I was
a boy, happily meeting people in
a quiet courtyard. In another, I reside
in a great brownstone in an elegant
neighborhood with flowering trees and
just the right feel in the air to
render you helpless in its presence. In the
third thread, my life is filled with the love
of a particular woman. We proudly talk
about We and Us and live in the country,
in an old, fairy-tale New-England town;
or maybe it could be an old farm
somewhere in northern California,
dream-like, luscious, with meadows
and weeping willows. In my dreams,
I've never seen the woman's face;
I've always taken this fact to mean
it doesn't matter. When I finally
find her, I know we'll both
remember the same precious
moments, though they've yet
to happen. We'll both remember
being young together, though
we weren't, remember making love
in hotels, though we haven't yet,
remember savoring the delicate
and precious nature of our time
together, though we've yet to spend
any. We'll knowingly accept that
our days are precious exactly
because they are so insistently
ephemeral and fleeting. We will
remember our love for each other
in an instant and live out our days
aiming to hold tight to it.

(2007)