This is the forever day,
the one you want to hold in your pocket
like  a lucky penny,
when you leap out of bed before sunrise
and throw those curtains open anyway
to face that dark sky fading
because it is fading, because
even on a cloudy morning the sun’s glow
is certain to  come smack at you.

This is the forever moment,
the one you crawled on all fours to find
like a lost contact lens,
when you snap in place that last jigsaw
and stand back to see those 500 pieces
of blue making a brilliant field of chicory,
because it is brilliant, because
even when this moment winters
it is certain to come back around.

This is the forever family,
the one you lit on flickering faith
like a charm of candles,
when you unfold three sets of hands
and they slide together and hold,
and even if a storm breaks they hold
because life is stormy, because
even in the worst of downpours
this certain love will comfort you.

“This Time” appeared in Sweet Curdle and is reprinted here by permission of the author. Cathryn Cofell graduated from UWEC in 1985 and currently lives in Appleton. To learn more about Cathryn go to www.cathryncofell.com.