March 25

I woke up in the dark today, and I felt your absence more than ever,
Today, you should have been here with loved ones, like you wanted to,
Laughing at all of my aches and pains as I too grow older,
I am already past the age that you were never able to reach,
What started with a cough, made you but a hazy memory to some,
A washed-out polaroid, scanned in for future generations to see,
I can’t have you on my wall, it still hurts me to my core to see you,
But I will make them all see you, I will make them remember you,
Your face only appears in tired photos, but I still see you clearly,
When I see my eyes in the mirror, or those of my babies, I see yours,
Nothing will ever break me like it did when your time was up,
I lost part of me that cold July day, and it is irretrievable,
New life is arriving, a beautiful brutal reminder of legacy and heartbreak,
You taught me strength, kindness and gentility, encouraged art and poetry,
You were loving, gentle and funny, and a demon in the defence of your family,
Although life goes on, I remember you still, and I say your name aloud,
I keep you in my impenetrable heart, safe and protected, as you eternally sleep.