The Loss of Person

When someone dies, their body is gone.
They are no longer a presence.
The loss I never expected, though, was the loss of the dead loved ones' persona.
Vanished are their ideas, memories, loves, beliefs.
Their presence in thought and emotion and comfort disappear.
They leave a void of presence, a hole in the fabric of humanity.
What happens to their consciousness, their compassion, their opinions?
They leave a hole in the cosmos.

When Mothers Go

A mother is always warmed by your presence.
She remembers when she first held you,
your baby smell,
your soft, supple skin.
She suffers through your pain
and revels in your achievements.
A mother drops whatever she is doing, whenever you come near.
There is nothing you can do to make your mother stop loving you.
There is nothing you can do to make your mother want you to leave.
There is nothing you can do to make your mother turn away.
You are always welcome in her home, because, to her, it's your home, too.

So when she leaves this world, your mother leaves a void that cannot be filled.
You have no one else in your life that can replace her.
All you can do is grieve.