Living, Breathing, Twenty-Nine Years On

Living, Breathing

Twenty-Nine Years On

I stand here, looking at the dates.

March 22, 1979 — November 2, 1986

I am quiet.

I am alone.

I never dreamed I’d be standing here twenty-nine years on.

In the beginning, I didn’t believe I would live and breathe

   this many days.

Those early efforts took so much strength.

A laugh, a smile, a moment of comfort

   seemed far beyond anything I would ever reach.

Moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, and year by year,

 I live and breathe.

I still return to stand at the foot of my child’s grave.

Over these many years, I have laughed, I have smiled, I have found

   moments of comfort too many to count and even profound joy.

But, oh, I miss my darling child,

Whom I continue to love.