My Long Goodbye To Mama

She sits alone, staring at something...or nothing Hands folded, head bent, lost in a place I’m unable to find I search for her, she is my mother, I am her daughter We two, once close, her mind now distant I ask, “Mama, are you sad? Mama, are you in pain?” Silence, the response…Mama sits silently, as if invisible Occasionally, a flicker of life, a thought, a smile, Perhaps a glimmer, of times past Unable to get in and out of her bed Her friend, the ‘apparatus’, does this for her Staring out the window, seasons changing Mama, like the seasons, a participant in life’s process Once, vibrant & beautiful, gliding across the dance floor My father, leading their steps in perfect rhythm to the music Mama’s head, slightly tilted, long hair flowing, Laughing, as the music brought them round & round Her young vibrant life, now aged, with a beautiful lonely peace Accepting what was… and what is I miss you Mama. I love you! See you in Heaven!