FIFTY

They've been together, fifty years.

And family came, and friends, lots of them,
and we laughed and talked and ate so much.

And we bought too much cheese, and way too many crackers,
and far too much cake and just enough punch
but none of that mattered after all.

I said, "I knew you when you were this tall,"
to a teenager,
and realized suddenly,
that I am an old person now.

But, that was okay too,
because all around me were other old people,
my age,
who didn't look old at all.

So tonight I'm feeling happy
and lucky
with a new understanding of time
and how quickly it passes by.

We would never notice
if it weren't for these moments,
placed strategically along the way
where we observe the milestone,
and stop to consider
the very very breathless pace
of life.



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