For Libby

They say you blossomed
And as is often the case with blossom It did not last for long enough We’re left Bare branches against a black November As Storm Angus mingles tears with our own Lamenting through the long nights We gather Waiting for the skies to clear Waiting for Advent Waiting for peace on earth We’ll wait for a long time And maybe not long at all
Some of us will sing our pain in whispers, in howls Some of us will dance, there, in the dark Hold hands with mourning and move slow and wild Some of us will curl up silent Still, shaking, shocked We hold each other tightly Reminded That the souls surrounding us are the greatest treasure Even now You show us That quietness sometimes speaks the loudest That kindness breaks down walls That gentleness transforms a room, a garden, a body, a heart You’ve marked us like canvas With rainbow strokes And the smile to light a room Face painted petals and gold You noticed beauty, picked it out and shared it With pen and lips and camera and brush and hand The wise received it, gladly So today We’ll beat our drums for you We’ll hold our flags high We’ll move to the rhythms that echo deep inside That made you come alive In that place where so many of us met In that place where you, we, were found In that place we became family As is often the case The rarest of orchids, the most stunning of blooms Do not grace us for as long as we would hope And you were indeed rare And you were beautiful And you were brave You leave a trail of glitter, leading to the sunset Your giggle echoes amongst the autumn leaves Your dreams water the ground, ready for new life So even as this blossom fades There is no doubt that your scent will remain We’ll breathe it in deep and hold on tight To the timeless story of the earth and sky and trees and seasons That tells us: after the blossom, there comes the light and warmth of summer After the blossom, there comes fruit