Everything Essential

We were strolling along in downtown Seattle, going 

no where in particular.

It strikes me as so poignant 

that we're looking in opposite directions.

I remember, feeling restless -

(and quietly disappointed) that day.

I had expected something else

(I don't know what, precisely), but not what showed up.

Meanwhile, He was content.

 With hands sticky from a yogurt snack

and a day that was warm and bright,

his intense and perfect face gazes 

across the street where 

life "on that side"

was so intriguing that in fact,  yes

yes, in fact

  he was tugging (just a bit) - as if to say,

 "Hey Mama, let's go look over there!"

Funny...

what stands out in one's memory after sixteen years:

small damp fingers,

deep restless sighs,

the sound of shoes on dry cement,

the need - no matter how separate our immediate desires -

 to stay connected to each other,

and the belief that holding hands

would keep everything essential intact.

 Reid and Martha - Seattle, Washington 1992 - Photo taken by Dan Rankin