I do not have the words to say. 
How I wish that you could stay. 
I wish I could tell you about my day. 
I wish I could tell you everything. 
Life will never be the same. 
This loss is taking  
all the fight from my game. 
I didn’t get to say goodbye 
on the last day you were alive. 
Now I’m here to pick up the pieces, 
as I am shattering inside. 
For what it’s worth, 
I was on my way. 
I came too late, 
And you lost your fight. 
I know you tried 
with all your might. 
The silence 
is deafening. 
Your absence 
screams defeat. 
Every hurdle 
on the path to you 
had me beat. 
Now you’re gone, 
I look for 
glimpses of you- 
in the everyday, 
the mundane, 
even the music 
I listen to. 
 
In the darkness 
of your absence, 
life continues.  
In the darkness 
of your absence, 
I pause for a while. 
In the darkness 
of your absence, 
I search for my smile. 
In the darkness 
of your absence, 
I bid the final goodbye. 
 
Farewell to the man 
who raised me 
and taught me 
to reach for the sky. 

Editor: Erynn Crittenden