Ryan Warnick Phd.

A minaret rises above space and time.
Each stone a place tucked away in the mind.
Walking the steps to the top; the future laying bare.
Marriages, graduations, but looking further; I wouldn’t dare.

Afraid moving upwards; where I’d be, what I’d see.
Backwards, memories I recalled; cakes, balloons, embraces.
A reel rolling as my eyes scan down the steps.
Family, friends; awash with waves of nostalgia.

Glancing farther upwards… wrinkles, unfamiliar faces, and at the top,
a woman with sparkling grey eyes – in a dark dress – foreign to me.
Inching to her with trembling hands, she becomes clear.
She smiles, “I’ve been waiting here since the first steps you took.”