FOREVER HIDDEN

Tonight I sat in a room of men and women in their senior years

And as I looked around at their faces

Faces that have seen much during their years

What memories did they store within their minds

What hurts and happy times have they so hidden

My eyes fell upon one elderly lady

She sat listening to the music that penetrated the room

Music from the past

And I wondered what flowed through her mind

As her gaze seemed to go beyond the musicians

Into some far off world

What was she thinking

Was it of happy times

Times that brought her joy at one time

Or was it something sad

Sad enough to bring tears forth

We have such hurts and happiness

Stored within us

Do we allow any outsider to seek that out of us

Or do we take these hurts and sorrows

Joys and happiness

With us to our grave

I again glanced at this lady

That held such deep secrets

I noticed the deep furrows that crossed her forehead

And down the sides of her face

Each one must have deepened with each sorrow

There were no laughter lines

Just saddness

What was her story

No doubt it would fill a book

What were her deepest of secrets

That lay so deeply hidden

Don’t we all store hurts

And secrets

And happy times

Within our hearts and minds

And, yes, we do take these

Precious memories

And hurts

With us when we die

To be forever hidden

Hidden within the shell of a body

That once felt love and passion

And shed tears of joy

And felt the pain of grief

To be forever gone.



Gail Adams May 22/11