Forever

There is an old man. His body is the victim of time. Wrinkles decorate his skin and laugh lines are prominent. He smiles at pedestrians and with his benevolent eyes, he wishes them a good night. He paces the boulevard in a leisurely fashion. His eyes roam the fiery yet lulling sunset. Birds fly in flocks back to their home tree like a swarm of bees to honey. He watches silently but with evident pleasure. The clouds are painted with a carefree hand in varying shades of nostalgic beauty. Like every other day, he removes the drawbridge that prevents his memories from frolicking throughout the day. Eventide is the time he gives to those memories. At said time, he lets them flow freely like a vigorous river. They are vibrant and harsh at first and some are even cutting. Then, slowly and ever so gracefully, they become softer. The river flows leisurely as if struggling to match itself to the emotions of the sky. He is able to see each thread in the arras of memories, every event that shaped who he is.
He misses her, the person he used to walk with. There was once a soul he bounded his to. There was once a quirky lover who never failed to bring hope into his life. She had no fear, that woman. She loved swinging at a play ground always claiming that she was flying. She loved the way that spring smelled like flowers. She loved the shooting stars that she wished upon. She loved how honey tasted. She loved way there was never enough popcorn when watching a good movie. She loved the silhouettes that shuffle around the boardwalk. She loved his laugh, his husky laugh that is always accompanied by a smile that she insisted was in synchronicity with sunshine. She loved the sunset. She loved to read stories to the little ones. She used to be a dancer. She had the most dazzling eyes in all the universe. She loved the way their grandchildren hugged her tight when she told them she wouldn't see them for a long time. She loved the way his hand always found hers and how fate never seemed to accomplish keeping them apart. She loved him.
The endless sea of longing is where he dwells. Time has made it easier to navigate the rough waters. It wasn't that the sea became calmer as time wore on, it was more that he learned how to stay afloat, to tread water. On most nights, he calls to the heavens, seeking some form of strength to keep braving storms. Whenever he calls, he is answered and the burden of life is easier to bear. Tonight though, he doesn't call Him. With his heart, he reaches out to her and if he shuts his eyes again, he can feel how close their hearts are. In fact, they are still bounded together. When he begins walking again, he almost sees her in his peripheral vision. He simply smiles to himself as he keeps walking, knowing that if he were to look too closely, the magic would be vacuumed into twilight. He doesn't speak the words for the sound would shatter the flawless silence. He is fleetingly happy. And, on nights like tonight, love is so potent, even ominous death cannot stand in between.