Here on Earth

I step across the stone path,

below the tree swaying in the wind

that holds life in its long vines,

swinging just above my head.

The birds sing with joy to a

song only they know how to hum along to.

The salty breeze hits my sun-kissed face,

as my toes clinch to the

wet sand beneath them.

Citrus tang stings from the

tropical pineapple drink,

that clings to my lips

and tickles my tongue begging for more.

Flowers grow around me,

tickling my nose from their fresh fragrance,

giving life to the earth around them,

never asking for anything in return.

I watch the tree hanging so effortlessly,

with its branches swaying side to side.

I wonder if this must be paradise,

then heaven must not be that far from here.

I feel your touch graze my hand and rub my thumb,

like you did when I was young.

Fresh shampoo, caress the tip of my nose

and spark my memory of your short caramel blond hair.

Fragments of ice cream play with my tongue,

taking me back to a time we would share,

as it dripped down our hands

and we raced to the end of the cone,

fighting a brain freeze that was inevitable.

My heart starts to ache with physical pain,

like a car windshield that got hit with a tiny pebble

and begins to crack at every end.

A whisper breaks through the trees

that reaches only my ears,

“I’m with you, forever and always, do not fear. I'm right here”

I see you in the distance,

standing under the tree

and even though my heart my not beat the same,

I know heaven may not be

as far away as it seems.