Virginia Lee with a book on her knee

for my sister Ginny

There are moments

when there are no words

at least at first

loss being a personal

endeavor

grief an emotion

with no redundancy

nor consistency

and ultimately time is

the only reliable way

to dull some

instances of pain

even so I believe words

are the way to settle this

debt and let you know

in whatever space you

are in now

that I always felt your

presence, no matter

where you were no

matter why or

how you found

the justification for the things

that led you away

from your pain

none of that matters now

I hope you have a

proper library, a comfortable

chair in a warm room

with and endless kettle

of Irish tea

and the moment

in which to take a long

deep and steady breath

on your own

as each story

you read begins with once

upon a time followed

inevitably by

the end