Her Absence Stopped Time

Her absence stopped time we set our internal clocks by her movements. Coffee brewing at 5 AM Dinner cooking at 5 PM Laundry hanging in the cool summer winds by 9 AM to catch the full days sun, warmth, beauty, and pull the smell of the lilacs into the sheets. Crisp, inviting bedding smoothly laid on each bed by 9 PM so we can dream of flowers and sleep in meadows. He absence stopped time no one woke in time for school no one made dad coffee no one opened the curtains at dawn to let in the rays and the heat of each new day. No one knew how much she did until one day she didn't.