I Remember

                                                                                                                                     

I Remember

I remember

The car rides with you, as we sat on the seats

Riding along on quiet afternoons

the wind on my face as it blew through the open window

the feel of the velvety material beneath my hands

the smoothness of the fabric under my legs.

I remember

The magical feeling of time suspended

the tender moments when you gazed into my small child face

Daddy, one more story

Goodnight my sweet girl.

I remember

Sunday morning trips to the corner deli

bagels and lox for breakfast.

The tinkling bell over the door

Peering into the case and staring at a gigantic tongue

Did we ever buy tongue?

I remember

The beach,

the sand, the breaking waves

The sun, the salt,

the promise of a perfect day.

I remember

The brave struggle of your last days,

the moments when I thought my heart would break

Your silent, slow journey

 the tears I cried as I tried to find words to help make it easier to pass.

One by one, I unfolded each memory,

read them aloud like pages from a book

your story

our story

suspended in time

where past, present and future are all one.

I remember

How I watched

You make your way

On your return to the place from where you came

before you were made to forget.

And now I know you remember.

Catherine Shields

Catherine Shields is a retired educator with an M.S. Ed in Reading. She resides in Miami, Florida where she and her husband raised their three grown daughters. Catherine is a member of the Florida Writers Association. Her short stories have appeared in Ariel Chart International Literary Journal, '45 Magazine Women’s Literary Journal, Levitate Magazine, Flash Fiction Friday, and Spillwords. Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. For more, follow her on Twitter @Catshields1.