MA

Goodbye, Ma.
I never got a chance to say goodbye.
I really didn't think you wouldn't wait.
I didn't know. Is it too late?

Goodbye, Ma.
I hadn't seen you for about a year.
You were quieter than sometimes then,
Not hearing, or seeing, like of old,
but still your warm and friendly self --
interested, hospitable, loving.

You were someone special, Ma!
In your own quiet, unassuming way
you set the pattern for this widening brood
of your posterity.
Was anything too much trouble?
Sometimes, but not so very often!
Did the whirl and hustle and bustle
damp your spirits?
Upon occasion, but the other occasions
were more frequent, and more memorable.

Can we forget those countless times at the lake?
Or Thanksgivings? Or Christmas fests?
People. A score or many more
all sizes and shapes together,
tied by law, by blood, and in our
various mysterious ways, by respect and love.
Nurtured as well by your respect and love,
which we returned in kind,
though not as obviously as we do now.

We tracked our British ghosts together
in that lovely summer break that seems so long ago.
You helped me with my Latin
when newer mind failed on older words.
You were there, to understand,
and even if you didn't understand, to care.
We sat by the fire.
We cruised in the boat.
Breakfasts at Millie's were such a treat,
or refreshing trips to the A and W.
The homecooking was great!
Did we ever help enough to make it all work?
Give us another chance;
we know we can do better!

Goodbye, Ma.
Maybe they're right -- maybe it's just "so-long."
You listened to all the discussions,
quietly thought about all the issues.
Your faith stayed mostly unspoken,
but nonetheless present and powerful.
You lived the truth as you knew it,
and let us all find our truths.

Goodbye, Ma, goodbye.
Though we may not have said it often enough,
you must know -- please do know -- how we loved you.
You were a woman with class -- a classy lady!
We will miss you so much....
I will miss you.