When We Were Growing Up Together

That old blue sky saw everything that midsummer day,
Even that look in his eyes when he looked her way,
"Will you marry me Bonnie?" He asked, eyes lit;
Red slowly filled her cheeks but she'd never admit -

She was scared, he was only nine and she was seven,
Their lips were locked under the golden stars of Heaven,
And their feet were dangling loose on the river bank,
Looking into her eyes, he laughed as she went blank.

"Why would you want to marry me?" She asked out loud,
"So I can make you my baby forever," He softly vowed,
And her Mom always laughed and shook her head,
Every time that she heard that story, but Bonnie said:

"I don't care what this world thinks of us, love's on our side!"
And hand in hand they walked the world, happy and wide-eyed,
But one thing Bonnie can never forget is the day he held her,
Softly brushing his hand on her face, he handed her an old picture -

Her overalls were grass-stained with dirt along her freckled face,
Standing with a fishing pole next to him near a familiar place,
And he wiped the tears from her baby blue eyes when he said,
He'd be leaving for war in a day or two, may wind up alive or dead.

Thirty long years have passed since he left on that train,
Waving goodbye from his window as she stood alone in the rain,
And this old picture simply can't do him justice anymore,
With the taste of tears, she mumbles over the words he swore -

And she stands, tracing the life lines beside her bright blue eyes,
Holding the blood red poppy in her hand as she solemnly sighs -
"I'll be seeing you, and once again I'll look into those eyes of bright blue,
Because when we were growing up together, I fell in love with you."

-Jenna Elphick
May 24, 2007