My high school sweetheart turns 65 this week. Time flies. We're still friends, still wish each other a "happy birthday" on the appropriate day, still remember growing up together. 

~

there were certainly fun nights

flashlight tag in the park with eric and sue, et al

leonids and snow angels

in the dead freezing nights of winter

holding hands at the movies

arby's after the basketball games

cautious, and dancing very badly at prom 

friday and saturday nights couch wrestling to records

all good, but the quiet times

studying in the library

a little foot-play under the table, passing notes

side by side, again studying, on the bed, being good, for once

fingers reaching, just to be sure

talking to danny after school

reading the paper at the kitchen table

all good. it was all good, the quiet times and the fun times

it got us through the rough stuff

that the units, the parental units, put us through

at least three-fourths of them

and three-fourths now gone

i'm sorry for keeping you to myself, for the parties we missed

our time too precious for sharing

so i thought

i'm thinking about the last few weeks of summer

before i went off to school

the long talks at dusk on your back steps

the inevitability of it

the awkward goodbye

i didn't think it would be forever

it did liberate us

but i feel the loss

and know there was nothing unique about us

everyone has their long goodbyes, and everyone feels the loss