Storm Chaser
You came into my life and surprised me with joy. Our conversations shared both the comfort of a well-worn sofa and the giddiness that children choke out in glee. You made a home in my heart like you’d always lived there – like you always would. And then without explanation, you packed up your bags and walked away leaving behind you nothing but our memories and the faint scent of campfire – what I thought was forever was for you just a temporary place to rest your head – nothing more than an overnight camp.
In the weeks following your departure, memories of you took even deeper root within me. The throbbing ache of loss wound it’s way throughout my veins and robbed me of my breath. Try as I might to rid my mind of your smile, the edges of it began to blur with my own until I was no longer sure which was yours and which was mine. Our lives were intertwined. You were in my brain and under my skin. Each day I felt the significant weight of your absence – your silence, the trill sound of an alarm within my head. But day by day, I learned to live without you. I remembered what it was like to walk on my own feet without you beside me offering your shoulder as support.
You returned to my life much like a tornado. At first, I basked in the breeze of your presence, in awe of the power you had over me – your ability to stop me in my tracks, to make my heart beat fast and hard. You swept me up in a tunnel of our memories, and spun my thoughts into doubt. I realized then that it was best I let you go – best to duck for cover.
And yet, even as I write this I know that there is no letting go of love. I know that should you need me, I’ll be here, ready to be swept up in your wind. Friendships like ours are once in a lifetime – a world-altering meeting of souls. And I guess I’ve always been more of a storm chaser than a safety-seeker.