The White Arched Bench

I surfaced to reality After swimming in a dream— Its waters warm and inviting, I wonder, Were you swimming too? For I saw you there, Sitting on a white arched bench, Side by side with me, As my head rested on your shoulder. The garden bloomed in roses, Bathed in the golden light Of a summer afternoon, A time we knew so well. All was calm, lovely, As we sat and talked— Your touch familiar, Your warmth soothing Even the most stubborn worries. But then I asked myself, Why not stay? And in that fragile moment, My rose-tinted glasses shattered. And the waters turned cold My mind filled with worries As I knew this could never work Yet I said nothing, Trying to soak in the last warmth, To savor the fleeting calm Before swimming back to the shores of reality.