It’s like this
YOU glow
Eyes the brightest blue
Belief in your words
Finally sure
That you’re good enough
YOU are the luckiest man in the room
And you don’t even know it
No one to protect
You can apply the brakes
Make a u-turn
And change your route
YOU curled your hair
Shed your weight
Lightened your heart
Rocked the dress
Fought for equality and won
YOU somehow grew when growth was done
Hoisted up your slouched shoulders
Swiped the hair from your eyes
Made us wonder how we missed out on that
YOU rub your wife’s shoulder
Avoid her eyes
Mine too
Dance the fine line of "good"
YOU almost did it
Almost signed the papers but panicked
Because you didn’t know what life would be like
without
YOU are the 2.0 version of the hottest girl in school
Tiara traded for confidence
You feel it
You show it
You own it
YOU face things I can’t imagine
Lies mountains high
Hope even higher
Brave enough to love anyway
YOU forgot to make me a name tag
Then told me it didn’t matter
That nobody could forget me
YOU were right
YOU spent your Sunday with me and your beautiful wife
Connecting the dots like they never disconnected
Seeing things my way
Or is it your way?
Like we always did
I type these words at 30,000 feet
Thankful for the opportunity to peek into your worlds
And go home
to mine
What did you learn at your reunion?
xoxo,
Suzanne
About Me
- Suzanne Casamento
- Author of Fingerprints, Choosing Tally, and All the Moments in Between. Tweet me @suzannecasamento
I learned that how I saw and experience myself was completely different from how my classmates saw and experienced me. It was a wonderful and delightful surprise.
ReplyDeleteGreat prose Suzanne. I learned how very much I had changed and in some cases, left so many behind.
ReplyDeleteWow, so interesting! I have never gone to a reunion. I was always too far away, too busy, blah blah blah. This November, I'm going to my 20th. I hope a learn a little somethin'.
ReplyDeleteI learned that I really did matter to people and that I could go "home" in a way.
ReplyDeleteWow! That was great. I learned that I already keep in touch with everyone I care to. Don't really need reunions.
ReplyDeleteI learned that no matter how important you've become, we all know who you were. That strips people of pretensions and makes for a reunion awash in warmth.
ReplyDeleteAwesome verse, Suzanne!
ReplyDeleteI learned to forgive. And also that people didn't hate me as much as I thought they did.
Amen.
ReplyDeleteLove your verse.
Loved your poem.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to my reunion (skipped the 10th, it just felt too soon), but I may check out the 20th. It's such a study in humanity. High school was such a microcosm and then at the reunion you revisit after everyone returns from the macrocosm. Interesting!