A New Year, A New Normal

The New Year comes
tiptoeing through the snow
and freezing winds
to transform
winter’s barren hope
into a new normal that rewrites
the dreams
and the plans,
which we discussed
before Alzheimer’s skeletal hands
stole first her memory
and then her life.

My prayers
rise out of winter’s sorrow
ascend
into the garden of paradise
where her joyous laughter reverberates
and descends
into the souls of friends
and family
where it inspires
us to accept
a new normal that includes
the memory of her smiling face.