Half-life of old friends

Mom writes polemics, when a cause grasps her heart She's a good soul and wants to do her part A journal took one, so she emailed it to friends Then found that old age had brought many to their ends Sometimes children answer back, or maybe a weary wife They thank her kindly, talk about the hollow in their life Sometimes they are left to cope alone But there's always a rest for a rolling stone. I viewed the emails she’s getting back This one succumbed to a heart attack This one had a blood disease, slow but sure This one slipped on his driveway, could not endure Her article makes waves, then just ripples in a lake Tomorrow's news cycle and forgetfulness take Does she make a difference in the trend flow? The fish against the current who knew where to go. I push Mom in a wheelchair, up a path in a park We sit at the summit, and I rest on tree bark There's a half-life to friends, it's hard to make more As your boat approaches the terminal shore. On her birthday we walked, I watched a hawk soar Her cell phone rang, a shock was in store It was the son of friend, a lady healthy and strong She died that morning, it felt so wrong She remembers when Dad died, its etched in her brain He couldn't get words out, and we couldn't explain The years spiral downward, and life's ripples fade And yet for a time, a difference was made.