Time

The days come
and the days go
dragging me with them.
The hours advance
and the hours retreat
moving so slow
shuffling their feet.
 
2008
There were plenty of tell tale signs, but I didn’t pick up on them. Only in retrospect can I say they were there. The house was given a good cleaning; carpets shampooed, mirrors polished, floors scrubbed, refrigerator made to look like new inside and out. Front porch swept and all clutter hidden away, out of sight, who knows where. I wondered about all of this as it was happening, the sudden burst of energy all about me, but never questioned it. I was just glad it was happening and I wasn’t the one doing it. It’s nice to have industrious children who give a damn what the house looks like.

And then there was the invitation to take me into the city for my birthday; to visit the gallery of my favorite Philadelphia artist, to pick out a nice gift for myself from a South Street boutique. Have some coffee at Starbucks. Some ice cream at Hagen Daz. Wow! They sure were giving me the star treatment.

I didn’t catch on till we arrived back home and I saw all the cars parked at our house. My husband and all five of my children, their children, even their childrens' children were there; waiting for me. They brought so much food, including my favorite pineapple upside-down cake, we won’t be cooking for days. I sat in my throne like a queen and they gave me gifts. Wonderful gifts. My great grandson took his first steps from the coffee table to the ottoman.

At the end of the day, close to midnight, after all the goodbyes were said and all the hugs and kisses given, after the last car pulled away I stretched out on the porch swing and thought, “What a lucky woman.” I was wearing my new birthday earrings, eating my scrumptious birthday fudge, and listening at long last, to my new birthday album: Tell Tale Signs. It was sublime. My day and Bob’s music. Life couldn’t get any better.