*
As close to me
as my own breath
were the people I
expected to be with
forever -- she sat, she stood
in the kitchen so familiar
that I didn't even need
to look at her to see her.
In my memory a crumb falls
& the dog is there
brushing my ankles
with a sweet puff of air
& everything taken
beautifully for granted
as an eternal routine
until it ended.
*
