Relationship: Connection or link; The way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected.
I am convinced, a vital part of our living is formed by our relationships with those around us and beyond. Everyone with whom I interact has a relationship with me, and I with them, the depth of which is determined by how they affect me. Some of these can be toxic. Many can be and are benign. But, there are those few which are core touching relationships. It is of these I speak the following:
The Air I Breathe
I knew we were vitally connected
I did not fathom the depth
But it should come as no surprise
You are the deepest and longest connection
I have, or had, in my life
Our connection began at conception
I was little more than a biological spark
I was the convergence of two
In the ampulla of the fallopian tube
A single piercing
An arduous journey
A chamber embedding
An explosion of life
And our relationship began
For months, a few shy of a year
Our relationship grew
I was growing
Surrounded by a wash
Of myriad sounds and sensations
But, never far from the sound
Of one solitary heartbeat
Growth occurred rather quickly
Then, at the right time
You gave me a new world
New sounds, new sights, new everything
And especially, new relationships
From then until now
Through the good and the bad
Through the joy and the sorrow
Through the highs and the lows
Through relationships beginning and ending
Ours has changed and grown, but remained constant
In other relationships
At times, there were questions
Of perseverance and permanence
In this, my oldest and dearest relationship
These questions never surfaced
There is not enough time in a lifetime
To write down all the lessons you taught
To showcase all the shining examples
To commemorate all the important occasions
Based on, or being part of this
My oldest relationship
Then, without warning or preparation
One moment, here
The next moment, gone
It is as if
The strength has been drained from my body
The light has been stolen from the sky
The air has been sucked out of the room
This relationship
This lifelong interaction
This intricately interwoven thread
From conception until now
Irrevocably altered
Tied so deeply to my strength
Attached so strongly to my sunshine
Such a part of my every breath
For this moment
I am lost
I am adrift
I am alone
In a crowd
In time I will see
While dramatically changed
The relationship is still there
And will continue until it is my turn to go
Days will come
I will hear a familiar heartbeat
You will be my strength
You will be my light
You will be the air I breathe
Ron Simpson Jr.
August 27, 2018
