Slainte (To Your Health) – A Poem

Everyone I knew or had known

was in a large banquet hall.

I was surrounded by those

I loved, even people that I

had not seen in years.

and the hall was filled with

the sound of people talking.

Their voices were like music.

I had no idea why we were there;

it was like I had woken up

all of a sudden only to find myself

surrounded by a Shangri-La of

friends and family.

I was sitting in a throne that

was in the centre of the room.

The party was going on around me,

and I was as it’s centre. It was as if

I was the sun and the people

I loved were the planets.

A woman stood up and

clinked the edge of her cup

with a long, pointed knife.

It looked like a sword.

The room fell silent and

everyone was expectant.

“We all know why we’re here.”

She smiled at me and raised

her glass. She was shining and bright,

like the moon, full of light that

rippled all over her skin

and made her sparkle.

“We’re here to celebrate you.”

She pointed at me and I was filled

with love and contentment.

“We have a gift for you.”

She held up large piece of paper.

On it, I saw myself as I was

when I was younger.

It was a photograph

that had been blown up to full size.

I looked at my younger self

and recognized myself there,

even though I no longer felt

like the same person.

She pulled out something

that looked like a wand.

Waving it in front of the paper,

I watched the photo begin to

shimmer and undulate.

I watched the photograph

settle itself on the paper

as if it were a Polaroid.

When the picture started

to came into focus,

I saw myself as I was now,

holding out two gold disks,

one balanced in each palm.

“Who you were has changed

into who you are.”

She pointed with her wand at

the paper again and it began

to shimmer once more,

When it came into focus,

I saw myself again.

I was standing on a grassy knoll,

looking towards the future,

surrounded by the sun and sky.

The disks from the previous photo

had multiplied and surrounded me.

They were floating in the sky

like several small suns.

There were animals in the grass.

They looked as if they were protecting me,

or offering me guidance on the journey

that I was about to take into the unknown.

“You are not afraid of yourself anymore.”

She smiled again and her brightness

increased until it looked

as if she were made of stars.

She raised her glass and said “Slainte!”

Everyone in the room raised their own glass

and repeated the word.

They clinked their glasses

their neighbours and the room

sounded as if it were filled

with the tinkling of bells.

Light began to pour from their cups

until all I could see was

was the brightness

of the sun.