Today
We put strings of butterflies
On your bench.

It just so happened 
That a single monarch 
Crossed the trail 
And lingered for a bit
As we made our way down the sandy path.

I wish I had talked to you more.

I wish I had known you better.

You were always kind of like
A half-mom,
A taken-for-granted,
Taken-for-normal
Presence in my life.
Like the sunshine 
Or the leaves.

Things have been tough since you left.
Daughter. Husband. Adopted son. 
Fragmented by the absence.

I have to believe you are here
Holding them all
In arms made of gardenias
And wind.

I have to believe you are here.

Is it karma? Is there a lesson?

I have watched people wither away
Over losing someone who was not half the person
You are. 

I have to believe you are here.