The Promise
Genesse Bourdeau Gentry
Your birth brought me starshine,
The moon and the sun;
My wishes, dreams gathered
‘round my little one.
My life became sacred,
Full of promise and light,
All wrapped in the girl-child
Who brought love at first sight.
The years of your living
Filled with laughter and tears,
Excitement, adventure,
Some boredom, some fears,
But ended too quickly,
Ahead of its time.
The loss so horrendous,
Such heartbreak was mine.
But from the beginning,
One thought rose so clear:
Never would your death erase
The years that you were here.
I would not be defeated
Or diminished by your death;
I would hang on, learn to conquer,
If it took my every breath.
For if your death destroyed my life,
Made both our lives a waste,
‘twould deny your life’s meaning
And all the love you gave.
I vowed that years of sadness
Would change, with work and grace,
To years of happiness, even joy,
In which you’d have a place.
Memories of you, like shining stars
In the patterns of my soul,
Are beacons flashing light and love,
And with them I am whole.
In your honor, I live my life,
Now living it for two,
Through all my life, you too will live.
You lived, you live, you do.
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