The loving and the leaving

In the garden

With that gentle way you have

You showed me tiny hellebores

Offshoots of the parent plant

And helped me know

How to transplant them

Jasper sat by your side as you scratched his ears

And he looked so happy we were not alone

And then you left

And I felt the darkness again

Echo imprints

Of all the other leavings

That sounded out along the years

Ever since my father left

And I see now

How I chose to be alone

Not knowing what the wound was

That drove me

And I see now

How others tried so hard

And how many times I fought

Only projecting shadows of old

Onto new life

And I cried

But my higher power was there

She held me in the pain

This is not the end she said

Maybe it’s all been for a reason

And perhaps there is a way

To bind back again

Bringing with you

All the knowledge you have gained

From all of the loving

And the leaving