I Met You Mid-Sentence
I Met You Mid-Sentence
A Poem for Love in Midlife
A Poem for Love in Midlife
I met you mid-sentence.
In the beginning of a paragraph.
At the end of a chapter.
Or was it on the first page of a new chapter?
They kind of blur together, life’s chapters.
I do remember we were both in similar chapters.
What does it mean to meet at this time in our lives?
When life is a series of run-on sentences
When attention is pulled by the tug of a sleeve
Or a question that leads to another train of thought.
Things are sometimes missed
When we’re focused on the people we love,
The people we love the most.
Which is why I met you mid-sentence.
It would have been so easy to just keep on going,
With a casual wave or a middle-of-Target hello.
To let the I’m-not-quite-ready self-talk
Be the soundtrack that keeps you moving,
Moving on to the next meeting
Or soccer game
Or theatre class
Or college visit.
But, the tiniest thing happened.
The time we met.
I paused.
I stepped into a tiny comma.
Just for a moment.
There was no fanfare or starting bell or
eHarmony algorithm.
Just a pause.
I thought, oh.
He has a kind face and a gentle way about him.
And, I thought,
She’s lovely and is really present with her kids.
Then, when the messy mid-sentence of life took over again,
You came along.
You joined in.
You listened.
You responded.
You held me.
You held me, with your arms,
Your patience and your steadfast accountability.
And, you held me,
With your attention, your truth and your huge feminine heart.
Our conversation continued.
With words like, “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I believe in you.”
And, “Buddy-buddy”… always with a fist bump.
Then, after a time, another pause.
I thought, this woman sees me.
And, I thought, oh this man shows up.
Ah, ah.
This is what love is.
Mid-sentence love.
Midlife love.
Busy, growing-families-all-together love.
The let’s-keep-the-conversation-going love.
Its just love.
Big love.
Love that completes sentences.
Love that will fill the pages of the rest of our story,
Our love story.