Siblings

A night stroll by the Thames
         the dark waters
moving silently
         under the rain
no visible moon

We have grown old
         untouched by age
altered only by our knowledge
         and by the love we have known
and the love we as children
         shared

Our memories are
         comparative fictions—
were those the years
         were those our parents
were these the events
         worth remembering ?

The times of suffering
         and the time it took
to deal with the past
         and to heal
An understanding
         at times at odds
but an affection rescued
         from the debris
from the this and that
         of incomprehension :
but that we were
         for so long estranged
and have now
         renewed our bond
is a matter of celebration
         and a love worth living

John Lyons