A bit of this and that - while you were gone

A bit of this and that – while you were gone

While you were gone the little boy grew a mustache
Just for a while
While you were gone the tow-headed baby girl
Researched the seas for her masters thesis
While you were gone
Some books appeared on shelves
Bearing a familiar name
Sun rose and set in alternating configurations
Of blaze and bland
Snow fell into tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes
Ice-caps crumbled a bit
The air was a bit cleaner and a bit more toxic
While you were gone
The calendar melted in dali-esque delusion
And I passed you in age
While you were gone
All surreal and the same
While you were gone
The gloxinia bloomed
And the house was sold
Through the dancing dust
Of slanted sunbeams
I see you in it all
Rustling in the thrum
Of always here