RHODONITE AND GRIEF

Lifetimes lived and died

For a moment in the turnaround

I was waiting with the car in drive

Watched you hurry on across the parking lot

The image of your life in your mind fades

And I could see an anxious strength in you

Brave the borne pain

Waiting by front door on your cellphone

Summer at the convalescent home

"Kill me by surprise," you said

"I don't want to stay alive

To watch the words go first like hers"

Lifetimes lived and died

Lifetimes lived and died

In the winter on the porch, in the window of the door

I watch in the kitchen with your notebook open

Frozen in the cold when I come back with wine

At the end of every long night

Take a moment you need to just breathe

Whole days in treatment plants

Aphasic patients, apraxia of speech

Weeks and months go by like this

We function on routines

We sleep, we eat, we read

We eat, we drink, we sleep

We keep her picture on the fridge

I keep a rabbit toy for kids

You give me strength to fix myself

I gave you tokens, toys, and gifts to help you grieve

You said, "Kill me by surprise again

"I don't want to stay alive

To watch the words go first like hers"

Winter, we huddled in anger

Spring, sadness sinking in

Summer, accept all departures

Then autumn, start again

Winter, we huddled in anger

Spring, sadness sinking in

Summer, accept all departures

Then autumn, start again

I drove around for hours

For gifts to help you heal

Memories we parted once

The seasons of our grief

Rhodonite for stress relief

Promethazine for sleep

A rabbit toy for children

My deep condolences

Rhodonite for stress

Promethazine for sleep

A rabbit toy for kids

My deep condolences

Lifetimes lived and died