Chocolate and Poetry

For my birthday
You gave me a bar of chocolate
And a book of poetry
I partake of these almost every day
One remedy for the tongue
And the other for the heart
The chocolate is almost gone
I don’t think I have ever let a bar last this long
But waking to it made me feel
Like I was also waking
To a bit of our sweet friendship
And that somehow I carried a piece of you into my day
The poetry has nourished me and caused me
On many a day to stop and take notice
Of the little things

How long it takes a snail
To make it's way across the porch
Or new flower buds
That came in the night
Or the licks and paws
That greet me in the morning
Along with the padding of growing child feet
These things I share with you
Dear friend
Across a distance
With gratefulness