OctPoWriMo #27: How Did I Get Here?

I am still that little girl with glasses
looking on from the outside,
the new kid in a different school,
happy to hide in the curtains
at sudden noises or find quiet solace
in any book.
Once I came down the stairs,
dressed like a goddess in someone else’s gown,
and saw you, stunned to silence.
I am the earth to your sun,
forty-four years circling,
following you to desert valleys and lakeside mountains.
Once, we slept on a night train up the Nile Valley,
your shoes were my pillow,
we stared in awe, breathless at temples in Macchu Piccu,
made homes in whatever state or country we felt like stopping,
until our daughter came along, an anchor,
slowing us down to one place until she was grown,
our desire to give her what we never quite had,
a home. For now, we are here, downsized,
bookcases crammed with just our favorites,
a corner for quiltmaking, and on every wall,
photos, textiles, and paintings that remind us,
how we got here. 

Rachel and me, 1978

Tomorrow's prompt: Mending the Broken Pieces.

You can visit OctPoWriMo at http://www.octpowrimo.com/ to read what others have written and for writing prompts for tomorrow's poem. Why not join in?

Thank you, Morgan Dragonwillow, Michelle Vecchitto, Esther Jones, and Maria L. Berg for hosting this month-long poetry challenge.