There is a symmetry to life
Beginnings and endings; firsts and lasts
Encapsulated in the story of who we are
How we’ve lived, loved, fought and celebrated
FIRSTS
Firsts are easy to remember, we often write them down
Excited parents remember first steps and words and smiles
School days filled with first report cards, first friends, first dances
We remember our first heartbreak, our first love, our first loss
It’s easy to document life by the first you expect
The ones that feel almost universal in how they impact the world
But what about the firsts you didn’t expect
The starting over, starting again, starting fresh firsts
These firsts carry with them both the bitter and the sweet
Firsts as you rebuild, recreate, reestablish yourself
Firsts that have to happen, that need to happen
But firsts that carry with them a hurt all the same.
LASTS
And then the lasts come, never expected, even when anticipated
Bruised hearts and battered souls fighting to make it through
Last dances, breaths, words, and smiles
Last moments, celebrations, embraces
The lasts happen unexpectedly, instantly
No matter how we prepare, think we’re ready
Know they are going to happen
They still rock our world and strike our core
We never really know when the last will come
When the last time will be you see someone
When you’ll hear a voice before it’s gone
When you’ll close the door and it won’t reopen
We remember the lasts; appreciate them only in hindsight
As we mentally look through the catalog of our lives
Some lasts we hold close, the lasts tempered by joy and love
Some lasts we only acknowledge, tinged with heartache and regret
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We are the firsts we create and the lasts we endure
The hopes we hold between each beginning and ending
Are the bookends to each chapter as our story is written
Edited, and rewritten again