Riddles

Where did they go?
The songs we sang, the music we played,
the heady dance in each other’s arms (mismatched steps!)
but in our minds, Ginger and Fred, and
oh the glory and wonder of it all!
Gliding past hushed whispers,
trampling their doubts (we had none)
beneath the rhythm of 'cha cha cha' and the
sizzle of… mambo!

Where did they go?
Cheap breakfasts, soggy tuna rolls
and coffee in styros, (still a feast!)
outside the corner Starbucks – almost Peppard and Hepburn.
The easy banter, the chiding, the teasing,
the serious tossed aside, and those awful jokes:
If a doggie doc is a vet, what do you call the one for a trout?
Fish-ician! Laughing till the tears started,
And the segue to the end,
….the inevitable silence of lips… meeting.

Where did they go?
Chantilly lace, organza and satin, dark handsome suits
(double-breasted, mind you!)
Firm handshakes, a handing over of more than a torch,
bouquets and blue garters, cake and champagne,
all beribboned and bedazzling, memories in white
a Father of the Bride moment,
and you and I – crazy in, and head over heels –
we must have been.

Where did they go?
Laughter, joy, peace, tears, pain, despair
till finally the anger of doubt,
and the knife edge of cutting silence
(yes, hearts do bleed!)
The icy stares, the cold shoulder, the freezing heat of apathy,
your Douglas, my Turner – not quite that 'rosy' war –
but scars within and without (unseen – but oh so deep!)
Where did they go?

Where did we?