REUNION

We met at Joe's bar.
A pub on the South side of Chicago...
with interesting memorabilia on the walls...
all related to the city and old memories.
Many of us had not seen each other,
for over forty-years.
We looked past the silver hair,
the wrinkles, the sagging skin,
the extra forty-pounds.
We saw each others' beautiful essence.
We old friends were finally together again.
I saw them as I knew them, in the past.
I envisioned my friends as bright, laughing,
wonderful teenagers, with a lust for life.
And Oh!, Such great dreams we had!
Tonight we spoke of deaths, marriages, divorces,
grandchildren, the sadness of losing children,
who should have survived us.
We spoke of successes, failures, sorrows, and joys.
We showed pictures of our families and shared gifts.
The light still shined brightly in our eyes.
Finally, we were together again.
We were still young at heart.
We were beautiful.
We knew we loved each other,
and shared a special, common bond...
of what once was, and what will be.
We met at Joe's bar.
A guy who grew up with us,
on the South side of Chicago.