Tea made of tears steeping
Dried husks of dreams;
Whispers of fears salting
Sorrow­sourced streams.
Hope turned to heartache,
Love turned to loss;
Future of chaff­made bread,
Mined from the dross.

Bright bridal beginnings
Love's light lit anew
Mulched with manure
Of the shit you went through.
Babe in the belly,
Song in the soul;
Far­flung achievments
Heart­healing and whole.

Teacher, and mother,
Sister, and wife:
Strong strands intertwining,
Brocading a life.
Tapestried tale
Of a scene filled with joy ­
A home and a husband,
A girl and a boy.

Sunwarm fun filling him,
Father and love.
Partner and soulmate,
And gift from above;
Central strong strand
Weaving heart into whole ­
Plucked out in a snarl
Leaving holes in your soul.

A whole human being,
With part of a life.
Still mother; no longer
A lover or wife.
Doing, alone now,
You meet other's needs.
Darning holes in your heart,
Crying clean where it bleeds.

Now stretching before you
A scene pulled askew;
Both weaver and cloth,
It is all up to you.
You can drink from the dregs,
Leave the rents, cry "I'm through!"
Or take up thread,
Needle, and shuttle anew.

From strong­strung beginnings,
A pattern of joy
Is part of the makeup
Of home, girl, and boy.
From such strong foundations,
A new whole may form
In the memory of love
That's eternal, and warm.

The love of a father
Does not end with his life,
Any more than the love
Husband holds for his wife.
For the soul is eternal
And love lives in the soul;
Where Forever is Now,
Nothing's other than whole.

So pour out the tears
Raise your eyes to the joy
That lives on in the hearts
Of the girl, and the boy,
And each person who knew him ­
He is part of us all.
He is with you forever.
He is there when you call.

He is there in the
Tapestried web of your soul
Where he can't be plucked out
He is part of the whole.
He is woven throughout
Every string of your heart;
His love with you always,
Insep'rably part.

­ 10 April 1999