I guard you savagely
my gentle reminder,
that the harshness of life can be tempered
by innocent devotion
held in twice smaller hands.

You who always had luck on her lips
and cared for the lonely,
a balm for our aches and
a salve for our wounds.

We devoured your compassions
in the innocence of our depthless need,
and life, in the usual course,
returned little on the investment.

So let me be tangible.

Living proof that you're seen:
in the dark,
through the pain,
among the crowds,
among the stars.

A backstop for you to fall against
when in life's frenetic inevitibilities
you should ever lose sight of your feet.

I love you M,

from when you open your eyes
until you silently rest.

I promise you,
you will never be truly
alone.