---

Right here, always

When I awoke
The morning after,
I felt you there,
Floating around me,
All love, still alive,
Lingering and waiting,
For me to open
My unwilling eyes.

In our lives
We struggled along,
Pushing and pulling;
Until the time came,
And death made us friends,
Drove us back together,
Mended old fences,
Broke us open.

When we spoke,
Harsh words no more;
We forgave each other,
The past hurts,
Lost hopes, regrets–
All vanished silently,
Into the quiet night,
Like smoke.

So much time
Has come and gone,
Long years since you left,
My heart grown strong;
Still, when I turn,
In a lonely hour,
I find you waiting,
Right here, always.

A gentle spirit now,
Warm and ever patient,
Such a surprise,
To sense the freedom,
For you, for us;
What a gift to get,
Even at an end–
To begin anew again.

---

Listen to this poem read aloud here: