Soon gone

We each go about our day
Sometimes present and aware, at others not,
Often thinking those we love are forever.
So we often becoming immune to their presence,
Taken for granted like furniture,
Always there, needing little attention or care,
Often careless in what is said,
Communication of any depth not sought or desired,
Don’t we have infinite tomorrow’s?

Then the hole appears,
Cold,
Dark,
Where once warmth and light resided,
Gone forever who can prepare,
The pain of loss beyond all telling,
Regrets over opportunities lost,
Haunted my memories of smiles,
Tears,
Perhaps cutting words said, not taken back,
Only voids were fullness unheeded once resided.

The lesson often not learned,
Forgotten,
Knowing in such a way too naked
To see those we love as temporary,
In the end,
Closer to the morrow, the bone,
The “I” is passing,
Soon gone,
Not even the faintest whisper remaining.

So we gather our losses one by one,
The emptiness growing with each year,
First this one,
Then another, piling up over the years,
Sometimes at peace about it,
At others filled with rage and terror,
Like the weather the inner weather changes,
Unstable in focus,
That only faith deep within can heal,
Even if the dark and unknown remain.