Out of the depths of remembrance,
From nowhere and eternity?
The giant butterfly came to rest on my face
With blue wings unfolded - to gently wake me.
To tell me without words that the raw grieving was over.
You came to say goodbye and to let me go.

And yet there is, from time to time a yearning
For that sense of wakefulness
Arising from the shock of your passing away.
The recognition of our connectedness
With the earth,
With trees,
With people,
And moments of seeing myself without comment
And a quiet opening to feeling more alive, more human.

The echo of those wings, your laughter and freedom of spirit
Has returned for certain special days-our wedding, the birth of our children.
But I cannot afford to wait for another sudden loss.
I need to try to return to myself again.
Now.

Geoff Butts