You Are Gone

Thomas Hemminger

November 27, 2022

Seducer, healer, deity or thief,

I will see you soon enough—

in the shadow of the rainfall,

in the brief violet darkening a sunset—

but until then I pray watch over him

as a mountain guards its covert ore

and the harsh falcon its flightless young.

from “Prayer,” Dana Gioia

You left a silence, 

An empty place in the house.

Rooms bereft of old stories.

The familiar places,

As if a page has turned,

Are changed from golden-yellow memories

To blue-filtered realism.

The fish aren’t biting today.

The ground is wet and cold. 

The sky is gray and full of rain. 

I’ll wait for the season to change. 

Time can play the physician. 

The sun cycles the dosage.

The moon cycles the council. 

I will miss you.

Life will renew itself. 

Joy will come again. 

I’ll make new stories,

And share them around.

Thomas Hemminger is an elementary music teacher living in Dallas, Texas. His personal hero is Fred Rogers, the creator of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. It was through America’s favorite “neighbor” that Thomas learned of the importance of loving others, and of giving them their own space and grace to grow.