Change is sly creature,
It steals along edges
And melts from shadows,
Eating at the way things used to be,
But I haven't forgotten.
I haven't forgotten the unplugged days
Of my summery and fair-haired childhood.
The days when the sunlight and pool water
Were my constant companions.
I haven't forgotten the innocent days
When few fears haunted me
Because I hadn't properly met Pain,
And never felt the sharp blows of Loss.
Though those days are gone I haven't forgotten
All the friends I've made and left,
All the houses I've grown in and cried in,
All the bed and floors that I've rested my drowsy head upon.
I can't forget the days when Lies and Fear
Didn't curl at my feet while I tried to sleep,
When I never let Sadness or Stress into my bed,
When Anxiety didn't stalk my steps.
But in the last year the Inevitables have found my address,
They've marked my door with a red "x",
And taken more than should ever be lost,
Though no one escapes it.
I haven't forgotten my childhood sidekick,
The first one to go,
A fellow still older than myself,
Fluffly comfort in black and white,
Two blue eyes and a banner tail.
That seems like so long ago
And yesterday all at once,
I can't imagine a world without him,
But I fear I'll forget one with.
I haven't forgotten the second blow,
The sucker punch,
When Death raised her sights from animal to man,
From old to one who deserved more ticks in his clock.
I haven't forgotten you dear, dear uncle,
I haven't forgotten the blue car and surprises,
The treasures from your travels
And your seemingly endless wisdom.
Now here is the last,
I wish it was the last forever,
I've had my taste of Death's sting and I'm tired,
But the clock keeps ticking and my surroundings keep aging.
I haven't forgotten you, dear friend,
I remember bringing you home,
Three legs and two deep brown eyes,
Enough spots to put a Dalmation to shame.
I was already down for the count,
My breath stolen by pain I'd never known,
It was a kick in the gut,
Just to make all the old wounds sting.
But I will never forget,
That I swear,
Because our win and losses.
Our struggles and moments of ease,
They all make us who we are,
Paint the masterpeice that makes you a living,
Breathing,
Human being.
When Pain and Death and all their friends
Come knocking at your door,
And get a hold of you easily,
Then you know you have things worth living,
Worth dying,
And worth fighting for.
