Replay Poem by Diana van den Berg

Do you remember
those magical high days and holidays
we spent together
hiking in the foothills of the mountains
leaning on
and learning
each other’s hearts
by heart
and when the sun got really hot
we would take off our shoes
and dip our feet
in a gurgling mountain stream
we found
just at the right moment
and then we would find a tree,
offering a patch of shade
and we would sit down under it and lean against it’s bark,
sometimes rough with deep grooves, sometimes smooth,
and, before we wended our way back
down the open path that wound around the foothills,
I would look up into your face
wanting to thank you for the gift of you,
but my words dissipated
as you imbibed the core of them
firsthand
and, like so many time before and since,
I melted into your strong, protective arms
at the fire of your kiss?
Do you?
Remember?
Do you still feel me warm and lithe in your arms?
Do you?

(27 August 2011)