And in spring
And then summer
We are alone
Popping and absorbing
Sweet the rain
And warm sun
But then fall
Arrives as bitter
Chilling winds which
Tug and pull
Us harshly limb
From limb until
Torn we tumble
Down landing upon
Each other learning
That we all
Aren’t that different
We simply think
That we are
Like that one
Spot that you
Cannot see in
Mirror or over
Shoulder that one
Spot where you
Know something is
But simply cannot
See you fly
Blind into blizzards
Or trees or
Posts or maybe
Just maybe him/her
A photograph like
A mirror reflects
You in my
Eyes do you
See yourself in
My twinkling or
Perhaps in the
Smile that breaches
The levees of
Propriety and chagrin
Do you not
Miss your shadow
As it follows
Me now instead
Or do you
Miss your laughter
As it rings
In my heart
This you’ve become
Less for you
More to me
Poems live like
Life they blink
And inhale exhale
And sigh sometimes
Roaring while at
Others weeping they
Are my children
Gaining friends on
Their own triumphs
And heartbreak theirs
One day they
Will all breathe
On their own
The snow collected
Like halos around
Tree roots and
Toilet paper on
Eaves chill kept
It there until
Mid morning sun
Melted like a
Warming pan disappearing
Before my eyes
Like you did
Yesterday you too
Chilled by the
Frost of distance
Being one thing
And then another
First beautiful inspiration
And later something
Needed but invisible
HARLAN DIDRICKSON 