Read Poem: Yours Forever and Ever, by Alicia Aranyi

Ever aware that life moves so quickly,
I fear times slipping away while in them.
Questioning who of those whose smiles light my day,
Will become ghosts of my past whom I think of only on rainy days.
Will the tie be severed all at once,
Or so slowly that I forget how deep was my love?
I’ve heard people are taken by surprise when a loved one dies
When away for a college visit, when I got the call,
Though I bawled and bawled, surprise did not occur.
For I video and photograph to memorialize the inevitable in advanced so that I am assured I will
remember,
And through this time capsules entered
In a world where electrons, neutrons, and protons joined just right,
To create such a bright light in my life.
No, it wasn’t a surprise, though the doctors missed the signs,
For I’m the girl who watches my mother’s shared location to ensure she’s alive.
A part of me fears for the worst when from family I say goodbye,
When I see them again, a sigh of relief I sigh.
But not that time,
I didn’t get to see you to say goodbye,
Now I’m a numb frozen tree who breaks down once or twice a week.
I miss you, my baby boy,
I miss you dear friend who always showed me love,
Greeting me each day with a wagging tail,
To ground myself I’d think of your steady sleeping breaths
Breaths that stopped six months ago,
Ah, right on cue here the tears go.
My dear good boy,
My love for you is eternal.
Nicholas, oh how I miss thee,
Yours forever and ever,
Alicia Aranyi