just before it ends

The howling wind woke me up this morning

and I heard a voice asking if I ought to be awake

Followed by musical laughter

Peeked over the couch which my back had sunk into

for a night of restless sleep

Framed on the walls of my heart

is this very moment

One day, I will only remember 

the blurred familiar shapes and colors

of a sisterhood that warmed

me more than the junky heater in the corner

I think to myself

if my life was on the big screen,

I would pause this moment forever

And take it in slowly frame by frame

Like the show we watch

for our nightly ritual

and the car rides on frigid mornings.

A quiet hush before the start of a long day

and the warmth of a heater

On days like this

You blink twice

and it will all be over

So don't blink twice,

Keep it on playback

For another day

The moment is passing

I peel myself off the couch

Sit at the table and live for once

Swallowing bites of laughter and coffee

That make up and give more rest

than my sleepless slumber on the couch

So this is what it means to live

To share a moment

I will relive

Over and over again

One day I will tell my own little girls

about the strength in womanhood

and how there is something to be cherished 

about soul sisters 

An ordinary morning turned beautiful

Clocks turn slowly

And I savor each breath of the last few months

that my heart has grown increasingly fond of

I've learned in four short years

That what we choose to call home

isn't a place or a situation

It isn't the impenetrable feelings

of mountain high and valley lows

It is the faces, the voices

of those we've come to embrace

as a mismatched family

that carry over for a lifetime