Mother

Mother,
I feel your hand cradeling me,
I hear your voice soothing me,
I see your face smiling down upon me,
And I fall asleep in your arms.
Much later, I feel you again,
Stroking my hair with your hands,
Hearing you apologize for something you could not control,
Seeing you cry, your tears mixing with mine,
Though I refuse to acknowledge your presence.
Now, much later, my years, they rival yours.
What was only a few years seems like an eternity
To be without you.
I miss your hands;
Though rough and knarled from age, they were always soft to me
As they were when I first felt them.
I miss your voice;
Even though I had heard it rarely as the years went on
I still remember when you used to sing to me, so many years ago.
I miss your face;
Though near the end, it was pale and scarred,
Imprinted in my mind it will always be
The face of the mother that cared for me in my youth,
And until my life ends, I will remember you,
But after that, we will be reunited
Mother