When Life Becomes Real

I’m not sure what it was that day

I was walking in the house

Like any Saturday morning

And the world turned upside down

~

I only recall setting my purse

On the lone coffee table

Feeling relieved to be home

That’s when the phone rang

~

We were drifting in the water

When a water patrol buzzed by

There was more activity later

Right then I knelt down to pray

~

Just when I wished people

Would leave me alone

I stood at the edge of the concrete

Someone please speak my name

~

I would walk in a bed of flowers

If that could help me appreciate

The sheer beauty of simple reality

I so miss on days I’m drowning

~

When the alarms went off

We only had moments

To gather ourselves

Later we stood holding hands

~

Last night I could hear the

Screeching tires and gnashing metal

In the distant highway just

Beyond the bank of quiet trees

~

I wonder why I measure loss

Much like the scope of time

That preoccupies my mind

In the dawn of a rising sun

~

There were nineteen of them

Fought through the smoke and fire

With family and loved ones

Who know the pain is real

~

If my reality were yours

Would you recognize me?