There is always
A sense of
Closure
In places we least
Expect

Like on faces
Of those children
I could swear
Were nearly
Yours

Shining
Through each smile
As their mother
Held them
Gently

Telling me
She was gifted
After heaven
Took you
Back

Thinking
There was no
Chance
For hope or
Second-guesses

Until her eyes
Beheld them
And miracles
Grew so
Real

Much like
I had wished
Would happen
For these
Questions

Open
As they festered
In the years
Since you had
Passed

Leaving
Little room
To interpret
My own
Demons

Believing
That this absence
Was hurt
I dare not
Face

When I struggled
To persist
Despite
What warmth
You gave me

Feeling
Undeserving
Of tutelage
You had
Shared

Knowing
I wasn’t there
As they mourned
Your soul
To bury

Because
My recent heartbreak
Was just
Too much
To take

Even
Where you had
Tried
To get us back
Together

Bridging
That massive distance
I feared
More than
My life

Proving
Just how brave
That woman
I came to
Cherish

As a real
And loving
Mentor
Was guiding me
All along

Right up
To this day
Learning
You still are
Watching

Hearing
Your daughter
Mention
How to you
I meant so much.

– J. Pigno