Reaffirmation

Sorrow may not suffuse my face, But daily deeper churns within, And I would give up all I have To comb your hair or sponge your skin.. In sudden vivid dreams you come And reach for me with radiant smile. Though tight and real is our embrace, Vague doubts distress me all the while: These arms that hold me -- are they real? Behind these kisses, is there breath? Or are you truly in that land, That next dimension, we call death? The clock’s alarm trills on and on As logic bellows in my head: She neither knows nor loves nor cares; Accept the fact that she is dead! I force myself to glance at where The small box with your ashes lies. And then your voice alone rings clear: : The soul, my darling, never dies!