So Familiar Now

I lie beside you every night so blessed

that I am not alone here in this bed,

that you and I still have each other.

I've come to know the sounds

of your sleeping body

your soft breathing

the shifting of your legs

beneath the sheets

as you turn again to face me

and touch my skin,

your nightly reassurance that

I'm still here.

We are lovers growing old

so familiar now with every hair

and every look that passes

back and forth throughout the day.

At times we read each other's mind

so clearly that I wonder

if we've melded into one new life form

but no . . . we are really just

so familiar.

Joanne Cucinello