Dead or Alive
Dead or Alive
by Amy Temple Harper
I wondered if we were still in love. We were still nervous when we ate. We ordered
just one thing and split it. Only people that love each other do that.
On the way to the store today I saw a dead squirrel in the road. I swerved to miss it.
On the way home, I hit it again.
This morning we shared one meal and we watched each other eat. I talked with my
mouth full and a few crumbs fell out on the table. I picked them up and continued
talking and eating.
The sky is so blue today. The leaves are falling from the trees. Each one I can hear
screaming save me. But I can’t save any of them.
During that one meal we had bacon and eggs over medium. I wonder who got to
stab the eggs and make them run.
We went to the park today. You pushed me in the swing. I laughed for the sheer joy
of gravity.
When you ate your bacon you picked it apart. A piece of spit flew through the air
and fell in the food. I ate your scraps, and I knew it tasted better now.
I think an eventual acceptance of imperfection in the face of so much that is death, destruction, and all types of pain is a sign of wisdom, faith, and courage. Love can be brutal and it can be bliss so love like there’s no tomorrow and hopefully nothing will go amiss.