Dear Mom,

As always, you are truly right The world has lost sight Of what truly matters— Genuine human connection, kindness.. Indeed, we've all become disconnected From not only each other but nature itself. Like a shadow cast upon a wet painting The future is losing, present gaining. I noticed, the race is always on It's not where we stumble, but where we're bound. I've seen the straw, her flare is gone Her words, once solace, now a machine gun. As you wisely imparted Look not where you fall, but where you tripped My ship was wrecked, my heart was stripped Stripped of true emotions, left with hate. True —time, like the tide, waits for none In mere months after you're gone, I've transitioned The man you foresaw, weathering storms Now glimpses the shore, a new future reborn.