Every year at this time
A familiar sadness
Weighs at my heart
The tugging of unseen hands
Calls me to remember
Begs me not to forget
The sacred sorrow
Exquisite longing
Of mother
For son
Whose oh-so-brief visit
Caught a piece of my heart
And held fast
Unwilling to let go
To relinquish
His hold
On a life
That was his to touch
And barely taste
Before it was his time
To go.
I miss him.
Somewhere, I know,
His work goes on
And mine, also,
Will not wait
But once a year
He tugs again
At heartstrings
That refuse
To let him go.
I hold space in my heart
For him
Remembering
Missing
Longing for
My baby.
He sends from afar
A phantom embrace.
He blows a kiss
I can almost catch
If I pause
And feel
And remember.
A fleeting moment
When heaven touches earth
Again
And I hold tryst
With memory
With heart
With soul
Of one who came
But could not stay
And left a hole
A void
An empty place
Behind him
That I fall into
Again
Every year at this time.
Goodbye, my son,
For another year.
Mama loves you.
I won't forget--
I promise.
My heart won't let me.
And I wouldn't want it to,
As long as you are there
And I am here
Without you.
Love, Mama
