Requiem

For Patty

Weathered snapshots preserve distant memories
Still images of a life lived well
Animated by the stories they hold
She views these in vibrant color, with fluid texture
Playing in the eyes of her children, and theirs
She feels him near, so very near
His soothing voice, his gentle caress
His warm breath across her ear
Beckoning softly –- yet she hesitates
Needing to linger a moment longer
To hear a child’s laughter
To feel a cool night’s breeze
To bask in the scent of roses
To taste the summer rain
To mother her children once more
They’re grown now, she reflects
Each with such pride, such humor, such hope
Each crafting their own histories
But ever knowing who carried them here
Just one life, but a part of so many
They’ll whisper goodbye, but hold her hand tight
Reluctant to let her leave
They too hear his voice, his laughter
Asking to take her hand, to lead her In the dance they never had
To music of love resonating across time
The rhythm of a sweeping waltz
Carrying them through eternity
Should she choose to take his side
She’ll reach out once more
Her sorrow mixed with joy
And touch each life with a mother's love
With a gentle whisper over tear-stained cheeks
Cementing her memory in theirs
A most poignant tribute
A memento of her rebirth