We’ve Come a Little Ways
By Nicole B Roberts
We've come a little ways from the days
of empty arms
and beds warmed by memories
instead of bodies.
We've come a little ways from the days
where anxious faith was the only currency,
and love cost way too much
to not take it seriously.
We've come a little ways from the days of growing bellies,
latching babies,
and bankrolled kisses between hitches.
We've come a little ways from the days
where absence purified presence
and made both holy.
But, because we've come a little ways
from the price we paid,
I sometimes forget how expensive it was,
until you leave for a day or two
and I ache again for you.
And I remember...
It's the cost that creates the value.
It's the ache that makes the love.
It's the loneliness
that lines togetherness in gold.