And then...

And then the familiar ache
Nostalgia stings my eyes with salty tears
Reminders of the years gone past...
Gone too fast.
They had so much to give, but so little to take.

And then my swollen heart
Like a tender bruise caused by reckless blows
How was I to know it'd come to this...
That I would miss it.
Like expecting a sunrise  --but being met by the dark.

And then a nagging fear
Surfacing from deep within a place I haven't seen
Regret is so unlike me and how could I anticipate
Before it was too late?
I try to grasp for clarity, but everything's unclear.

And then a lingering pain
Reminding me to hold tight to "now"
But to hold it loosely somehow with child-like trust...
Bravery is a must.
Courageously I must face these doubts and cast them far away.

A new day is here... God is near... have. no. fear.