You were the

core of me,

the life that

flowed in

and revived

my body

and spirit.

 

Together

we conquered,

not with force

but with

the gentle

insistance

that nothing

could hold

us back.

 

But now

my life

is conquered

by leaden grief,

by the missing

and the absence,

by the cold feeling

of non-presence.

 

We used to raise

our glasses

in triumph

and celebration

for the ventures strange

and the challenges

stupid.

 

But now

I cannot raise

my head

to see your face

that is absent

but still present;

and I cannot

lift my arm

to touch

your cheek

and feel

the texture of its

smooth vitality.

 

My grief weighs

heavy

and holds

me down,

taking my breath

and drawing

my tears,

when I think

about how

your soul

ran in me.

 

27/5/2016