QUIETING THE STORM
By MICHAEL PERKINS
THEY HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR WHAT FEELS LIKE FOREVER, and yet the time that’s passed between them seems like mere minutes. They elicit envious sighs when they are seen, perpetually locked arm in arm. They are the proof that love can last, that some things can actually be eternal. That a promise matters.
They walk a little slower.
They measure out their days in tiny things. Small wins. A nice cup of tea. A shared confidence. A fond memory. Maybe even a joke they’ve told so many times that they’ve both memorized it.
And they seek the sunshine.
Carefully, deliberately, they move through yet another sunset. Is it one of their last? A world races past them with its myriads miracles and miseries. It’s all a blur to them, and not just because they’ve misplaced their glasses. Their focus on each other remains sharp and sure; it’s the rest of the world that’s fuzzy, that’s uncertain.
They hardly have separate heartbeats anymore. When one sniffs, the other sneezes. And the most amazing thing that starts each day is their first glimpse of the other.
The calendar tells them that a lifetime has gone bay since first they said yes to each other.
And yet, it seems a matter of a moment.
They make a pretty picture.
thenormaleye 
Okay Michael, so you made me cry. It’s awfully early for that on a Monday. I’d swear you were talking about my parents, I was fortunate enough to take many of those walks with them during those days. They passed away almost 18 years ago….11 days apart:) Beautifully written.
January 11, 2021 at 5:47 AM
I’ve always tipped my hat, on this platform. to the tech basics involved in making images, but the real mission has always been to celebrate the awakening of personal vision, the ability to set an intention for a picture. Some days that puts you right in the crosshairs of very intense emotion, as was the case here. Quite simply, with my own parents still alive but far distant, I needed to use a photograph to conjure them for a moment. I’m grateful that you experienced the same sensation, and, as always, I am grateful for the grace and generosity you always display. Happ(ier) New Year.
January 11, 2021 at 11:40 AM