I Remember There Was A Time...

I remember

there was a time

when I used to sit with you

we used to talk about all of those things

that people said kids were to young to understand

you would take me by the hand

and together we would roam across the land.

I remember

there was a time

when I used to play with you

you would laugh at me, and I at you

win or lose, 

those times were almost too good to be true.

I remember

when there was a time

 I used to tell you my dreams every morning

bouncing around you while you laughed at me and drank your coffee.

I remember when there was a time

full of reason and rhyme

life made sense 

and there was no such thing as not enough time.

I remember there was a time 

when you told me that maybe someday

mom would lose her mind in the recesses of time

you said that we'd take care of her

but you left me with my promises

like a near miss in the dark

with the cracks of a quiet heart.

I remember there was a time

and I promised mine

for her.

For you.

That I would always hold true to the invisible realities no one ever wants to see.

That I would always believe in the dreams we can't quite touch

moving silently through the dusk.

I remember

there was a time

when you were mine.

Bodies they fade to dust

memories they slowly rust

and those of us who remain go on only because we must

using pain like a crutch.

And sometimes I use memories of you

like alcohol on a wound

because if only for a moment

I can drown myself in the pain

and in that instant

you become more than just the memories which remain.

And I know, I know that you are fine.

But I remember 

there was a time

when you were mine.

These bodies, they turn to dust

and memories, over time they begin to rust

as I reach for one last touch.