Samantha's Graduation

Last Friday, I drove up to St Paul for our granddaughter Samantha's high school graduation. Sabine had to stay behind and rest; too big a crowd for her.

Every since I have been back, I have felt tired, even sad. Why so? It was a wonderful time with her and her siblings and parents and met lots of her friends.

Three years ago, her older sister, Allison, graduated. Memories. A year later, her funeral. Feelings of happiness for Sam and sadness as we all missed Allison. Sam goes off to college and is going to seek a career in law enforcement (a chip off the old block?). Finally, today I was able to grasp those clashing feelings of grief and celebration. [A note of clarification on the second poem: Samantha has a beautiful heart tattooed on her left shoulder with Allison's name inscribed -- "the image adorning her shoulder..."]



can grief
be
tasted
like a strange exotic
spice?
at first
bitter, foreign
shocking to taste
yet
as one goes
on
and family events
bring us
again
to taste
the absence of
her
whom we loved
(still love)
the taste of it
once bitter
and noxious
replaced now
by
tastebuds
once violent
now
linger
in remembrance.




where is she?
we come together
rituals of friendship
and family
once
abundant with
her
is she coming?
in our
routineness
we expect
a bubble of
her
to drift in
to occupy
this passage day
her soul-sister
an
accomplished woman
i see her
self-consciously look
askance
is that her?
feeling her fingers
caress
the image
adorning
her
shoulder



Peace and have a blessed week.