Look at the silver lining, they say.
But what if, instead,
I pluck it off
and use that tensile strand to bind
myself to those things I do not
want to lose sight of.
Families knit together by evening walks,
board games, laughter.
The filament fixing us to friends
no matter the distance apart.
A braid of gratitude for small kindnesses.
The thin gauge wire of loss.
Let me twist that lining
around my finger,
it’s silvery glint a reminder
of just how quickly life can change.
I will remember to love more.
I will remember to give more.
I will remember to be still
I will knot the string tightly.
So it won’t slip away.
So I won’t forget.
--Paula Gordon Lepp
[Four generations of family laughter].
