Before You Say Goodbye

24

BRIGHT star! would I were steadfast as thou art—
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night,
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like Nature's patient sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors—
No—yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever—or else swoon to death.

                         - Brightstar! would I were steadfast as thou art by John Keats

I have never been a poem kind of girl – I've always been more interested in a good thriller or sometimes even mythology-based books; very rarely did I find myself inclined towards a good classic. That being said, I surprised myself yesterday when I went to the town library with an obvious thirst for poems. I'd checked out a poem collection book by a famous author and it was just less than ten hours later, I'd already finished reading it all. Some poems I'd read twice and some even thrice. I'm telling this all with such detail and with so much surprise because I never thought I'd enjoy reading a poem before today. My heart reminded me that my sudden love for the poem was someone's doing – and I grumbled, convincing myself that the said someone was Ezra and not anybody else.

It was Friday night and I was lying on my bed, staring up at my ceiling – doing nothing with my life other than reading poetry; the same poetry that I had thought was boring. It was a little pathetic that I don't have anything better to do with my life. I had no plans with friends – Terry went to the movies with Jaxon; we were still not talking to Piper; Sophia had some charity gala to attend with her dad; Ezra is having a family night while Noah is busy babysitting his baby sister. Imagine having this many friends but none to hang out with on a Friday night.

And that was the only reason I was so surprised when my mom called for me from downstairs, letting me know that my friend was here to see me. Looking down at my very revealing, but very comfortable lacy nightwear – a Christmas gift from Piper – I sighed. I needed to change. I didn't know who this friend was who decided to spring up at my house without informing me, but I had no plans of flashing them.

Cursing at myself, I quickly got dressed into something less revealing, but comfy at the same time. An old ratty t-shirt and sweatpants would do. "Adeline!" mom called for the third time, her voice turning impatient, "Did you even hear me? Someone's waiting for you."

"Coming, mom. Coming!"

"Why couldn't you have hollered that sooner?"

"I did," I called back, quickly descending the stairs, "You didn't hear me because you're going deaf."

"What was that?" Mom gave me a chance to backtrack my statement, her face lit with a smile, eyes swimming with amusement.

"See? I told you," I chuckled, wagging a finger in front of her face as I came to stand in front of her, "Going deaf."

"Smartass," She playfully pulled at my nose, "Now, go; the boy insisted on just talking to you and not coming inside the house."

"A boy?" I frowned, "Jaxon, Noah, or Ezra?"

"Honey, you know I'm not very good at remembering people."

"But you've seen them since they were kids, how could you not remember them? Ugh," I gave her a look, "Did he not tell you his name?"