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| Janice, with her life-long friend, Nancy |
On the Loss of a Cherished Book Club Member
Words
Slipped through the ether
To tell me
Our friend had
Slipped from her body
And into the next chapter.
Lover of those with blood ties and without,
Champion of the lost and found,
Steward of business,
Thinker, Traveler, Epicurean, Adventurer,
Reader of the written word,
Friend,
Partner,
Daughter,
Sister,
Aunt,
Step-mother,
She is no more.
But how can that be
When her Cheshire Cat
Smile
Still remains?
And her laugh,
Her throw-back-her-head-and-howl
Laugh
Still echoes?
Her joy,
Her infectious, sparkling joy
Casts a light that death can not dim.
Her body fought,
Her cells wrestled,
Her spirit never flagged.
Yet the battle was lost.
So,
I will let go of her,
I will release the sparkle of her eyes,
I will forgo the warmth of her embrace,
I will not search out her body in a room,
Or her face in a photo.
I will not listen for her voice.
But I will hold onto
That smile,
That laugh,
That joy
Which will stay with me,
Solid and sure and true,
Until the final page is turned.
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| Janice - Virginia Creeper Trail 2015 |
Jackie, You captured her so perfectly. A lovely poem. It finally allowed me to release some of my grief.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jackie. So hard to let my beautiful friend go. Wherever she is, she took a piece of my heart with her. I hope to see her again so she can give it back ❤️
ReplyDeleteI am so so sorry about your friend. There is nothing in the world like them. This piece is just lovely and perfect. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteJackie, This is beautiful. She gave me the additional gift of the book club and all of you wonderful women. One more wonderful reason I am grateful to her.
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