ABSOLUTE

The loss of a loved one is real and grief,

though modified by temperance, remains forever. 

Rough edges are smoothed

allowing us as bearers to

be calmer and more serene.

Our human frailty

does not allow us to give up a bond

that seemingly anchored us

in our identity and was part of our self-worth. 

Life is a precious gift and

we do not stop living without purpose. 

We become a monument of sorts for

the one lost, a proof that someone mattered. 

We will not and do not forget. 

Scrapbooks, picture albums and

conversations often become sidewinders

that bite us with reality,

bringing tears and wounded hearts which

again will need time for healing. 

This is the story about

what love does when absolute. 

It is a treasure of gold

that we will not spend for ourselves,

but will sometimes share with others. 

Nothing new in our life will alter what was

because the new is something different and unrelated. 

We, in a sense, have a new story. 

It, too, will end and

we hope it is not us

who has to write the final chapter.

But if it is we will write the story

With grace and dignity.

Stanski

February 2, 2023, ^