to those of us left behind
standing amidst the ashes that remain
atop the skeletons of our lives and ourselves.
to those of us left behind
who struggle with unseeing eyes blinded by grief
and limbs made heavy with exhaustion
and shattered souls
uncertain about…everything.
to those of us left behind
who must learn to live in the without
and open our hearts to life
when all that is in us begs to close those very hearts.
to those of us left behind
who loved so deeply and so passionately
whose lips whisper names into the darkness
of the soul and heart and body
and hear only an echo.
to those of us left behind
who stagger through each moment and each hour
of every day and night
as the months pass by and the sharp blades of a love gone
cut and shred.
to you, to me, to us
left behind but left behind
with the love that can and will and must
become bigger than the absence of those who
have gone beyond our reach.
to we who grieve the grief of a lover gone
and slowly dance our spirit dances and speak their names in our hearts
as our hands and souls entwine with theirs
and our bodies search and our minds question and the deepest part of ourselves
burn and become determined and we become Love in remembrance of the love
we once held close.
to those of us left behind
searching the heavens, finding our footing, seeking,
gasping, breathing,
being.