Vignettes

A short piece of writing that is somewhere between an essay and a poem.

Strolling the sidewalk of the little beach town eating an elephant ear. Laughing like the kids we are; though we don't recognize it then. Your satisfied grin as you lick the sweet cinnamon sugar off your fingers.

Visiting the tiny neighborhood pizza joint to get out of the house for a bit. They start "the usual" when we walk in. The owner sits down at our table for a little chin-wag.

Breakfast on the deck watching a bald eagle swim the blue above the river. The warm sun is taking off the chill of the breeze. The rustling as it makes its way through the evergreens.

Hiking behind the waterfall and feeling the mist on our cheeks. We stand transfixed by the natural beauty around us. We don't want to leave.

Late evening chatting by the campfire in the mountains. The crackling and the crickets are the soundtrack of the night.

Dozing off on the sandy shore as the sun sinks in the west. Your head is on my chest as the heavy sea air makes everything damp. But we don't mind.

A spur-of-the-moment picnic in the park by the creek. Alone. Just you and me. And the occasional mosquito.

Sweet innocence. Sweet love. Sweet memories.

Sweet memories that have turned sour by the way things ended. Why did you want the story to go this way? Was it really worth it to throw all of this away?

The pictures still have their vibrant colors. The hues in these vivid vignettes are crisp and clear; they've not yet faded. A blink and I'm right back there again. The feelings, the sounds, the smells. The scenes replay. The reels spool on in that theater in my head and in my heart.

And my heart breaks again. The screen flickers and fades to black.