10 Years

10 years.

How do you measure 10 years?

In tea, coffee, writing mornings, poems, reading, laughter, movies, packing, unpacking in new york city, new jobs, cancer, beers, wine, grassroots, old friends, vows, parties, novels written, novels thrown out, tears, more laughter, publications, graduate school, packing, unpacking in Buffalo, family, library school, graduation, packing, unpacking in Monroe, traveling cross-country with a cooler full of cheap beer, Washington DC, Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, Napoleon House, Dallas, Grants New Mexico with the low low moon and the whistle of a train, driving through the desert, Barstow, LA traffic, San Francisco, Salt Lake and one amazing burrito, Colorado, Kansas, Chicago and Blues Fest, Pittsburgh, New York, Rocinante and the ghost of John Steinbeck, words written, page counts, packing, unpacking in Brooklyn, new jobs, librarianship, new nieces, long walks, Van Gogh, Harring, Houdini, the symphony, plays, staycation, London, Beatles, graves, homes, Shakespeare, Stratford, take off, landing, Paris, Madrid, Toldeo, meeting old/new friends, cancer again, sick brothers, tears, one little grey cat dying, Rome, Florence, Sienna, Pisa, take off, landing, fights, novel publication, More novel publication, writing mornings, tea, coffee, poems, readings, laughter, movies, friends, rental cars, train rides, new nephew, Vienna, symphonies, graves, homes, art, The Kiss, Salzburg, hot summers, blizzards, cooking, hurricanes, more cancer, laughter, more fights, writing mornings, tears, shoveling out stranger’s cars, sleepless nights, drinks, wine, beer, whiskey, London again, cheers, take off, landing, Liverpool, John Lennon’s house, 5 mile walks, turning 40, laughter, tears, passing out, bad dreams, good dreams, sick cat, picture taking, tea, coffee, writing mornings….

How do you measure 10 years?

In love.

Not just husband and wife, but best friends.

Mates.

Starship survivors.

A two-man crew.

Me and You.

For another 10.