Meeting the past

I was on my way to Gran Canaria,
She was travelling to Bavaria.
We met at the airport in the middle;
We had some time to talk, a little.

She had been my mate of older days;
And though we were different in many ways,
We’d shared the pleasure of a friendship.
Still life parted our relationship.

Now we stood right there, face to face,
In that odd, neutral and impersonal place.
She waved a little, recognizing me,
I smiled back at her, quite timidly.

She was a mother: daughter and son,
A successful boss, a Sony Ericson
Handy, a laptop and a big car:
She was a beaming, shining star.

I said I was an unemployed lesbian,
But from my girlfriend’s sleep the only guardian;
I had a dog as merry as a classroom full,
And helped on a honorary basis at school

I had nothing but a smile to give.
The bells now rang, we had to leave,
Held each other in arms quite long;
But then again there rang the gong.

“I’ll call you, sure!” “I’ll call you back!”
And there she ran, right down the track.
My plane was late, I had time to think
If, in my life, I had not missed a crucial link.

Looking up, I saw them then:
My girlfriend, my dog, and my brother-friend.
My family; chaotic but true,
As if to say: all life is great, for me and you.
It is my life, whatever I do.

40 lines