Silk Pajamas Once Upon a Time

He brought her silk pajamas,
back from his trip,
beautiful cherry-red with black trim.

She peers into the untarnished porthole
through which she sees her ocean’s past,
and once again feels the silk against her skin.

She gazes down a familiar passageway of happiest memories,
finding it wonderful,
hears their officiated song
traveling from her ears to her heart and back again.

She lets her mind gloss over
his non-halting illness,
his last trip, unending.

And as she stands,
wearing a threadbare flannel robe and ragged socks
to fight against the chill,
so determined to invade her elderly bones,
she’s glad she can still feel that silk,
and she knows she’ll always remember
how rapturous she was back then.