Refraction.

Autumn.

"Catch me," she said, as she ran through the field,
Laughing as he followed in pursuit.
The barley grew tall, golden faces turned to the sun,
Catching glimpses of the violet hem of her skirt
Between the stalks, proud and tall.
It was the kind of day that seemed to last forever,
And they caught one another as they played.

Times changed like the tide; the barley was gone
And the ground was soon lost beneath the snow.
Somehow, it didn't seem to matter -
Wearing the woollen mittens that she'd made,
He scooped up the snow and threw it towards her.
The way in which she laughed left him feeling warm inside;
As though the sun was smiling down.

She did everything that she ought to do,
And the seasons continued to change - Spring, Summer,
Autumn, then Winter again.
It seemed as though they had all of the time in the world,
And that still wasn't ever going to be enough.
Four children, all up and gone,
It seemed like the blink of an eye.

So quickly did it all change, and soon they were much too old
To chase one another through those barley fields again.
The snow seemed so much colder now,
And their bones were too tired to scoop up the snow,
But he felt alive when he saw the smile in her eyes;
He would live forever
Just so that he could spend all of that time beside her.

She - he thought - was as beautiful as the day he met her:
They were both older and greyer, but her smile tasted the same.
The barley was growing once again,
And he often thought it was much like their love, for it
Always began to thrive in the Autumn,
Much like he fell in love all over again each morning
As she woke up in his arms.

It had to happen - he knew that much - but the world
Seemed to fold in on itself when, one morning,
She simply wouldn't wake up.
She was buried in her violet skirt, and then he took a walk
Through the barley; the fields where they'd played as children,
Where he'd asked her that fateful question
That had tied their lives together.

He had nothing he would have done differently;
He'd held her, he'd loved her, he had always been ready
To follow her to the edge of the world,
And now he was ready to go beyond even that.
Amongst the barley, he began to wander,
And he felt as if he'd been walking forever when he stopped,
Smiling. "Catch me," he said, as he saw a glimpse of
That violet hem amongst the plants, although he felt no need
To run anymore.