WHEN I AM OLD

One day, when I am very old
This hurt will be forgotten.
I’ll quietly, carefully, walk through the town
Button my coat against the cold
And think about my shopping.
I’ll pass the little bridges
And the church where we lit candles
And I won’t remember, I’ll have no care
That once upon a long-gone time
We held hands there.

I won’t remember how we watched
The water swirl against the old brick wall
And promised we’d come back one day;
Or that you smiled into my eyes
And told me I was beautiful.
I will have forgotten, in the busy passing days
The sweetness of someone my own to hold,
And the sound of your voice and the warmth you brought
when I felt lonely and life was cold.

When I am very old, one day
(just a few million breaths away)
I’ve promised myself (so I know it’s true)
I will have forgotten that I wanted to grow old with you.

by Mandy Baldwin