Napping in My Recliner

You are here with me.
We are smiling,
Looking into each other’s eyes.
We say nothing.
Just stare and smile,
Laughing now and then.
I feel warm, happy.
You are young, like the day we were married.
Am I old? I don’t know.
The only reflection I can find is the one in your eyes.
Love is staring back at me, and I don’t want to look away.

But something startles me, and your image fades.
I look around at my surroundings…
A lighted Christmas tree with your flashing red bells
In a dim room that is very familiar.
Everything is still except those flashing lights
And the swinging of the pendulum on the clock.
I look to my left, but your chair is empty.
I feel the weight of my age bearing down on me again,
But it doesn’t compare to the ache I feel in my heart,
Knowing that another Christmas approaches,
And you are just a dream.

My soul searches for you but only finds you in dreams.
And I will live for dreams until we are together again.

Erin Elizabeth Cloar December 18, 2009