A moonlit garden path
The night is filled with sounds and smells
Each vibrantly unique and equally mysterious
I enjoy a stroll through the garden at night
Sight is unimportant here
Other senses rule
These strolls allow me to step out of my life
The distractions that prevent the analysis of complex thoughts
And when the visual assault that is man
Is far removed
It gives one time to think and to ponder
Weightier matters
But more importantly it allows me to remember you
The way your hair shined under the lights
The smile you had that was only for me
Your laugh the tinkling of wind chimes in a cool evening breeze
The softness of your hands
The smoothness of your skin
I remember the times when my hand would slide around your waist
And I would pull you close and I would think to myself that no other woman would have fit in my embrace quite so well
I remember walking with you down this path on a night quite similar to this one
We strolled hand in hand through the garden enjoying the life here
Enjoying our silent companionship
I stopped us to pick a flower and you let me fix it into your hair
And when we paused at the gazebo to watch the still waters of the garden pond with its lily pads and nighttime noises
You turned to me and looked into my eyes
I would have fallen forever into that sea of cool blue if you had not taken me into your embrace
And pulled me to safety with a kiss
I returned the kiss a little more deeply to tell you that I love you
But you knew, just as you knew that I wanted to hold you and try to savor that fleeting moment
So you let me hold you there in the gazebo
Watching the garden pond with its lily pads and nighttime noises
And memory fades and turns to gray
All but the memory of losing you
I lost something of myself with your passing
Not my will to live, nor my desire to carry on
I knew you wouldn't approved if I pined my remaining hours away
But it has been hard to live without you, my love, my darling, my companion
The colors were never quite as vivid
The sounds never quite as striking
The smells never quite as enticing
Touch and feeling, numb to the point of pain
It is getting hard now
Time is wearing me out
So I have come to the garden…our garden…for one last moonlit stroll
I will miss the garden almost as much as I have missed you
Hopefully, one day, another couple, young and in love, will find this garden and learn to love it as we have
The garden is a place of incredible beauty, a beauty that touched our lives
A sacred place for poignant moments and memories
Yes, I will miss the garden, but it is getting so hard now
Hard to go on, hard to understand, hard to hold back the tears
One soul of a pair
The lonliest number
I must go now
My path is clear
Whatever becomes of me as I walk it
And I know that you will be waiting for me in a gazebo with an embrace
That will last forever
-cirerrek