Author Note: I originally wrote this poem in 2004 for a significant person that was in my life when I was in my early twenties. That relationship fundamentally impacted my life across the spectrum in profound ways. I learned of his passing last year as I was dealing with the beginning of my illness before my diagnosis with breast cancer. I hope that you, dear readers, enjoy the traverse down this non-sequitur lane. This is quite a contemplative time.
RIP CKS. This one’s for you.
Reverie of Redemption
(an afternoon dream)
By Melissa Gerdes Zapanta
reflective moments, close to my heart
stir the legacy of him
remembering countless hours with curtains drawn
well beyond the break of dawn
where two halves became whole
in the background the keeper of the crypt
droned below moody blues
Pierre Cardin, sweat, and hemp permeated
in a heady mix of air, I was elated
to submerge my aching self into
delicious memories racking my core
for desiring one more day
to greet the streaming sun through the curtain edge
across the room, through dusty haze, dancing on the ledge
where I sat my glass while I was lost... and found
I didn't know it was the last time until long after
that last time we left that room
now it's almost like a dream someone else had
his healing flooding my memory sad
he was my redemption and friend
Our Humble Road 