To Mama

In my earliest
Beginnings
I heard the music
Of your heart.
I grew
Surrounded by your life.

New in this world
I nestled in
Your eyes’ delight
And in
The comfort of
Your arms.

I learned to walk
Listening to
Your cheers,
To make choices
Admonished by
Your cautions.

Every day I lived
Encouraged,
Believed in,
Cherished
With love
That never
Failed.

Now you are gone
I grieve
What cannot be replaced.
I miss
Your voice.

Yet love can
Never die.
What has been given
Stays.
I’ll always be
Surrounded by your life.

By Linda L Gage (written to her mother, Dorothy Lane after
her death on 12/28/00)