First Poem - Reunion 40 - Paul Harding
High school reunion, the big four O
Should I stay or should I go?
Could be fun. Might take a chance.
Maybe the last time for a high school dance.
Been talking to some people I knew long ago.
They’ve made me feel warm, and welcome and so,
I’m thinking a road trip might be good
Show my wife the old neighborhood.
The talkers still do and the silent ones don’t.
The instigators will and the passive ones won’t.
Just a couple of days, well a week, more or less,
Welcome the friends; welcome the rest.
I looked hard in the mirror just yesterday
And then at a picture of me, far away,
In a book that has weathered four decades of time,
Far better than me and far better than mine.
They’ll be shocked when they see me. I’m so
different and yet,
They’ve all aged too. Will I judge them on that?
No, what matters is sharing the memories past,
That was the foundation from which lives were cast.
Some may be wealthy and have lofty posts.
Some may be meager with little to boast.
But all will be family and all do have ties.
Just by living beside us, they helped shape our lives.
It’s a time to be savored, absorbed in our soul.
It’s a time to be grateful, brought back to the fold.
The bonds of reunion enrich us, and so,
There’s no, “Think I’ll stay home.” There’s only,
“I’ll go.”