Letting Go of Louise

(A poem written for my wife, Nancy,
 Shortly after the death of her mother, Louise.)

I wish I could weave the language of love
Into a comforter to keep you warm.
I wish you could take my prayers with you
As lanterns to illuminate your path.
I wish that my embrace could hold you back
From your appointment with eternal sleep.
I wish that I could accompany you
For part of your story, like Orpheus,
Who dared Death's dark realm for his beloved.

Like you stood with me my first day of school
As we waited together for the bus;
That big orange Bluebird coming to wrest me
From the security blanket
Of my home's familiar surroundings.
Unlike the old Marvin Rainwater song,
I didn't want to "find me a bluebird" that day,
But you lingered there with me and held my hand.

Now it's your turn to go away.
I've never seen a baby enter this world
Without anguished tears and wails;
It's tiny fists flailing at the indignity
Of being pushed from the comfort of the womb.
I've watched too many friends leave this life
With a final sigh of welcome relief.

Mom, I'll be there to hold your hand
Until the end, but I can't go there with you.
Take my love with you though; like a nightlight
Let it be there to comfort and reassure you.
If there is an afterlife, may yours be
As beautiful as the lake you were named for.