That One Brief Moment

There is one brief moment
First thing in the morning

When you wake
And the world is yours.

You reach for the sky
And then you remember.

The one you love is gone.

There are details of life
to attend to - shower, shampoo
and brush teeth.

Decide what to wear. Does it match?
Replenish with coffee, tea or juice.
Find your car keys. Go to work.

The sun is a pitiless glare.
Featureless faces on the freeway.
The air burns your skin.

You sit at your desk.
Dial the number.
Listen to the recorded voice.

Friends say, "Change the recording."
No, not yet.
Not yet.

Remember the joy.

You close your eyes.
Remember the illusive fragrance.
The sweep of lowered eyelashes.

The heat.

You pick up a stack of papers.
That one brief moment is forgotten.
Until tomorrow morning.

That one brief moment
Is all that keeps you sane.
That one brief moment in time.

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"_{TIME does not heal anything; it just teaches us how to live with the pain." unknown}

_{“The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again, but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to.”}

_{- Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and John Kessler}