< p>My mother died several years ago. The next poem expresses my feelings at that time.
< h1>
Hello, Little
Thelma
How are you
today?
I miss you, you know
Life seems out of
balance
Since you went away.
Watching you
decline,
The brave smile, the gracious
greeting
Coffee spots on white lace
blouse
Unsteady steps on tiny black
heels
Dimming eyesight
"It's dark in here",
you'd say
and turn on the antique lamp at mid
day.
And then the stroke four years
ago
Everything went--balance, eyesight,
vigor
Yet you always knew my voice from a
distance
and would call out,
"Annie, come in here!"
Near the end, you knew me
still
Your struggle to speak
Unknown syllables
strung together
Touched me in my depths.
Hello,
Little Thelma
How are you today?
I miss you,
you know.
