Lori Keil Ortiz
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Posted on: Aug 14, 2019 at 4:01 PM
Hello 40 th Reunion Friends - Aug. 10, 2019 I had a wonderful at this, my first reunion since our 5 year. I discovered that a poem was taking shape in my head the next day. I humbly share it with you. I loved having the chance to reconnect. Sincerely, Lori Keil Ortiz
40th Reunion
The more time we spent together
the more the layers peeled away
from the faces of these strangers
until the eyes and smiles
of the souls we used to know
revealed themselves.
There. There is that dimple,
and there, the large brown eyes,
and there the grin turning up slightly on one side
That afternoon...a meditation
A prayer to love
and receive love.
My head argued, “Why?”
My heart answered,
“Connect, connection, thanksgiving
- because here is a moment in life
A gift
Go softly (and bravely) into the night
Or into the hometown tavern…
Whatever...
Smile from the inside out.
Speak first.
Identify yourself, lest white hair and broadened hips
cause some to falter.
Receive the hugs.
Fold into the embrace.
Reflect appreciation
for the fact of being alive after
trudging the paths of 40 years.
Mirror joy, but more importantly,
Help collect and soften and dissipate
the sorrows among us.
Just be. Just BE.
Listen carefully.
And in the listening
May it come to you that
an old friend, or love, or crush
helped shape you into
the beautiful and messy
person you have become.
Then walk away
a little softer, a little wiser, a little happier
a little more honest
a little more human.
By, Lori Keil Ortiz -- Dedicated to Regis, Class of 1979
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