clouds gifting chances

Clouds drape over each other
across the sky above,
a soft barrier between the sun and the earth.

Gifting the sun a chance
to be alone with herself
in private
permission to take a restful day.
Her rays permeate the clouds still
without needing to show her full self.

Gifting the earth a chance
to reacquaint with the coolness of coming fall,
embracing the act of letting go
and slowing down, slowly.
Gifting the earth and her inhabitants
opportunities to re-calibrate with the energy shift
and look ahead to changes still awaiting.

Breathe deep, slow breaths
of the cool, soft air
beneath the gray and fluffy blanket
draped over and around us.

it will not be the same as before

I believe, if I see you again,
it will not be the same as before.
We will both be different people
than the first time,
reuniting as new strangers
not old friends.

Maybe for the better
with us both in the same place
and at the right time,
a chance to try again
carve a new path together through the brush.

Maybe for the worse
with us still in different places
serving as a cold, stark reminder
that we will never be more
than what we are.

It will not be the same as before
for better or worse.