Birthday Wishes

Yesterday was my birthday.
Plans had fallen through.
I was feeling low and blue.
I felt as if I was standing
on an old swinging bridge -
one that lead only to the past.

I went to the cemetery to talk
to my husband and mother.
I felt the ghost of their embrace
in the warmth of the summer breeze.
Tears pounded against my eyelids
as I bravely fought them back.
I miss them so much.
I wonder if they know that
or if they sleep a dreamless sleep
that keeps them from hearing the
constant rain of tears from my heart.

Later that night the phone rang.
It was my ex-husband.
He called to wish me Happy Birthday.
I said, "Thanks" and then we talked.
For over two hours we strolled
through the years of our memories.
We laughed about the good
and even mulled over the bad.
We reminisced about our youth
and remembered those no longer with us.

I hung up smiling with a sense of relief
falling upon me like a blanket of calm.
I could hear the sighs of Atlas
as the weight of ages lifted
and the burden of another year
became a little lighter to bear.

My ex will probably never know
how much that conversation meant.
His call was timely - just when
I needed to hear a friendly voice.
He was the branch that reached out
to lift me from the quicksand of
depression in which I was sinking.
For that I will always be grateful.
It was a gift that cost nothing
yet was worth millions.

As I laid down that night
I felt a cool breeze descend
over and around me.
It hovered there for several minutes
then slowly the air became warm again.
It was then that I knew my husband
had been there too reaching across
the chasm of the spirit world
to say "I love you."
"Happy Birthday."