The years traversed with heart's huge leap
The dark illumed with soul's bright light
Retreating now with tiny steps
And faltering, as a child might.
Where now, that strong and loving hand?
Where now, that steady, guiding arm
That vowed to match my every stride,
Dispelling fear, repelling harm?
The gauntlet looms before me now;
I'm poised to run it on my own;
Yet, still, I stop and look behind,
And see that I am not alone.
A tear falls from a loving eye,
A smile lights up a friend's sweet face,
But these are joys my eyes don't see...
They're focused on an empty space.
Amidst the shows of staunch support
I see naught but a gaping hole,
A vacant place where one should stand
Whose name is writ across my soul.
If time's quick passage heals all wounds
And makes what's broken whole again,
Then let my hours and days be long
And let me live within this pain.
No other friend can fill that space
And so, to heal, I have no cause.
Instead, I'll savor all that's left...
The aching scars of what once was.


©1997 Gail Von Schlichting

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