Looking Through the Frozen Lens

Looking through the frozen lens,

memories frozen in time,

memories kept deep in the heart.

In the quietest moments,

tears are shed for lives well lead

with the future up ahead.

Looking through the frozen lens,

celebrations are suspended in time,

suspended in a grieving state.

Calls missed, visits forgotten

along the way. Conversations cut short

with so much left to say.

Looking through the frozen lens,

smiles stitched upon the fabric

of life, stitched upon every face

in every snapshot from the past.

Memories are slowly thawing,

clawing their way to the surface,

reviving the grace of yesterday.

Brett Mattison

On the Cusp of the World

She was standing on

the cusp of the world,

light surrounding her and

guiding her toward her day,

her day to embrace the sun

and embrace the future.

Her shepherd stood beside her,

beaming, bursting with pride

and tears in his eyes,

tears of joy and hope.

He saw her when she was born,

a tiny hand wrapped around his finger

and his heart. He rejoiced in

the start of a new life,

a life with great promise.

Her smile, her laughter filled his being

through the years, giving him

an overflowing source of delight.

The shepherd stumbled and fell

upon the path, dropping his staff

to the ground. His wisdom and advice

were silenced, his radiance extinguished.

She was standing on

the cusp of the world,

but the light surrounding her

became dimmer. Her future would not be

witnessed by the shepherd. His legacy

would always be in her heart.

Brett Mattison