A Frozen Memory

One memory; frozen,
as time goes on
A small child; naïve, innocent.
Wrapped,
in the arms of an older girl.
Sitting under the bright
decorative tree,
at a time of celebration
and joy.
Happiness etched into their faces.
The little girl,
unaware of the future.
The painful future of her family.
The future of the older girl,
whose life was ending
one second at a time.
A small child, now all grown up,
reminiscing.
Longing again to be the little girl
She once was.