The Moment

"How have you been?” the stranger asks,

A sudden feeling, as if I’m being attacked.

It’s hard to move, I’m not sure where I am,

I need to get home, but I don’t know if I can.

I have to calm down, I can’t let her know,

I must relax, I’ve got to take control.

“I’m just fine,” I say, as I look around the room,

I don’t recognize a thing, an impending doom.

Her eyes are kind, concern across her face,

There’s something about her, I just cannot place.

“That’s so good to hear, I’ve missed you so much,”

For some odd reason, her face, I need to touch.

“I’ve missed you too,” I easily lie,

I think she knows, I can see it in her eyes.

“It’s ok,” she says, “I understand,”

She leans in softly and caresses my hand.

I gaze at her beauty, her petal soft skin,

There is a sense of comfort, sparked from within.

She reminds me of Stella, my long-passed cousin,

But so many years have gone by, at least a dozen.

I think of her funeral, the day was somber,

The trouble with time is, for me, it seems to wander.

I remember that day, but yesterday is a blur,

I am grateful for the moment with this sweet-faced girl.

And suddenly the look in her eyes turns grim,

And when I look down, I don’t recognize my own skin.

I turn my hands over, and tremble with fear,

They have aged, at least, over forty years.

I look back up at the girl just once more,

The tears in her eyes begin falling to the floor.

And for one glorious instant, it all becomes clear,

I lean in and whisper, “ I love you, dear.”

She beams with a smile, her eyes are calm,

She looks at me and says, “I love you, Mom.”