another night fades
as the first one to go ~
and tonight there’s a quiet
the lonely heart knows
as the place
once adorned by a voice
on the line
and silence made sweeter
by the passing of time

there’s a bed on the ridge
where grace slumbers now
as destinies grieve
what her years won’t allow
was forever
(a moment)
we passed on our way –
flowers left blooming
in the places we lay –

in prayers as a name
repeated again –
and tears have no shame
for to fall

memories gather
in the shadow of life
and we wonder how soon til
forgotten –
will no one be left
not a soul to recall –
who we loved
why we came –
what we made of it all

more than marks to the page
or dates to a stone –
is someone
to hold us
long after we’ve gone

Author’s Note: Written in honor of my aunt,
Mary Pheribol Hughes (1922 – 2012)