January 15, 2013 - Dedicated To My Mother, Gayle

I sift through memories once forgotten,
as echoes of “then” fill my mind tonight.
Memories which span our lives together,
flash between those spaces, blindingly bright!

I imagine a sponge absorbs the sickness,
and gathers from you each affected cell.
A sponge to collect every ounce of pain,
laminating you in this living hell.

Sorrow has a name we dare not mention.
A word known by far too many these days.
A word that claims the lives of our loved ones,
after leaving them altered in tragic ways.

Those memories reveal the distant laughter,
which long ago filled me with joy and hope.
I witness you now, mom, struggling to breathe,
to stand, to walk, to find strength and cope.

In spite of it all, you endure with grace,
and I admire your courage with pride.
Some days we don’t have to ask how your are,
your eyes tell the story you can not hide.

There are so many things we’ve finally shared.
Forgiveness has opened love’s blessed door.
The past gets to keep what does not serve us,
so we can say: I couldn’t love you more.

Funny how vivid those memories are.
The ones where you held me, and all was right.
One day they’ll be all I have left of you...
As always, I place you in God’s hands tonight.