written 2-8-2020 in loving memory of my father; 
shared 22-9-2020 in loving memory of my friend

Today I mark a day of pain
A day my world changed
Blink
And gone
Flicker
Catch your breath
No time for all the loving words
I craved still to speak
If only time had held its breath
Just for a moment

The ache subsides
Little eddies of grief swell and retreat
Their passage eased
By thoughts more sweet:
My dad’s laugh,
His quirks,
His frequent humming to himself
His great heart and steady gaze
A quiet faith
Underscoring a simple life well lived

I miss him still
But come that day at Heaven’s gate
I’ll run to find his face
In the throng of those gone ahead
Run into his embrace
Knowing there’ll be time then
And more to spare
For all our words
The catching up 
Once snatched from us
And tears we’ll leave behind
As memory merges with the river of eternity