A Mother's Goodbye

A Mother's Goodbye

She clutched the triangular fold
of white stars on a blue field
as she stood on the hallowed ground.

She sang dolefully, with a reverence
that shaped the tremulous tone
of her weary, aging voice.

Her song was thinned by despair
yet was thickened by the memory 
of all the years of his youth.

The words drifted on her voice
like curling leaves on the water
of a swirling, muddy creek.

The damp forest absorbed
the resonance of her lyrics,
as if fearing an echo might offend.

When her song ended 
its mournful cry was answered
by the plaintive trill of a meadowlark.

She knelt and touched the stone
marking her warrior's place in eternity,
and whispered goodbye to her son.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2018

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Cunningham Avatar
February 13, 2018 at 1:18 AM
A bereavement is one of the worst things that we have to deal with, but even worse is parents having to bury their child.A beautiful verse John. Regards Tom
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