The moment we fell in love told by its fossil

Surrounded by students – students in skirts, students with beer stains on their jeans, students sitting on the floor, students tripping over skateboards – we stood there, out in the open. My dress blew around my legs, caressing my hand. I understood the gentle language of the wind as an invitation to reach out my hand.

So I did.

Light as a feather, barely noticeable, I touched your skin. You pulled your hand out of your pocket immediately. Slowly your fingers intertwined with mine.

I breathed.

Our friend said something but I didn’t hear a word. For the first time in my life I was completely lulled in fog. The colorful veil in front of my eyes did not let me see, any senses shut down at that moment. I wanted to stand there all night. I tried not to move, not even an inch, so that the moment would not be lost. With all my might I held on to your hand, as much as I clung to the feeling that the touch triggered in me. I stumbled over my breathing as if learning to exist from scratch.You could have stared and screamed at me and I wouldn’t have noticed. My fixation was completely in your fingers. Any body parts detached from my soul, everything appeared weightless. A part of my soul swallowed the moment.

Until today I carry the memory like a diamond between my ribs.

The moment is gone, it lies far away, buried in the past. But its fossil remains with me, an imprint embedded in silk. A grave I visit dearly.