Old Friends

Like the hide of an elephant
A life mapped by smiles and struggles
Marks and lines in crinkled delicate flesh
Battle scars, stress, and joyful events
Lie bare upon our wide-open faces
As memories fade and disappear
Into the sinking-sand of our porous minds
But arbitrary snapshots persist to clear recall
The smooth carefree countenance of our youth
And the love and friendship that has survived
As we are slowly touched by a falling generation
And examine the fragility of our own mortality
A hint of melancholy at the process of our aging
Possible missteps and dreams of do-overs
But we shall not miss the gratitude to be given
For the experiences and the destinations reached
And so much further have we luckily surpassed
On vastly different paths than high-school imaginings
But had we not we might have missed a crucial step
That has brought us to our current lives
To the blessing of keeping one another nearby
And to still be living and loving
A celebration in place of regretful review
For this very moment that we manage
And the numerous before
And those unknow that lie still ahead
That together I would hope we can bring to life
Give action and adventure and another scar or two
That when our time is come, we can gladly say
We’ve lived this life in our greatest way

Debbie Gravett © 2021.08.24

FOWC: Hint
RDP: Elephant

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay