I’m sitting outside
overlooking the valley where shadows quilt the earth.
Eating strawberries whose sweet juice reminds me
of the good and the promising.
My ears are filled with the comfortable notes
and familiar symphonies of my world.
The sun’s energy embraces me and the summer wind strokes
the curves of my back.
I feel as if the world is deceiving me,
but I welcome the illusion with an open heart,
basking in it, for now.
No troubles assault my mind.
Time has no meaning; this place is perfect—
Almost.

Minutes pass and the clouds shy the sun.
Soft drops rain down slowly, exploring my contours.
A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth
as I turn over, close my eyes, and imagine the drops
that splash my lips are kisses meant only for me from someone far away.
The sky fills a void, reminding me that it won’t always be this way.
Something is coming,
sure as the whispering rain, it is.
Something…someone is coming.

My heart quivers when the thunder
rolls off the clouds’ tongue like a secret.
Such lovely unknowns that encircle and protect me,
keeping me here.