Crumble

The little girl

had a mother.

They were the best

of friends!

From the sun’s awakening

till the sun’s slumber,

the two spent hours

on a specific task.

Sometimes it was sewing.

Sometimes it was baking.

Sometimes they forgot the day.

Mother kicked her shoes

into the sand.

Holding out her hand,

she smiled at her daughter.

Girl took Mother’s hand.

They strolled the beach,

scouring the sand and

the tide pools for shells.

Their feet slid through

the cool sand,

which sifted between their toes.

Some places they tread

were rich in sharp shells.

Other places they walked

were barren save for

the occasional tide pool.

It is these that

they stopped, crouched down,

and gazed into.

The pools teemed with

abundant aquatic life.

Starfish lounged upon rocks,

stretching their limbs

to their limits.

Minute rainbow fish darted

back and forth through the water,

searching for any possible meals.

Their dark shades shimmered

iridescent indigo in the sunlight.

Mother taught her daughter

all their names.

The girl appreciated their beauty,

for it all was wondrous.

However, in beauty, the girl

saw no other example

than her mother.

And so the day ended

and mother and daughter

returned home.

 

The little girl

had a mother.

Her mother was as

beautiful as sunshine

and just as brilliant.

Her mother’s face blazed in

her childish memories.

There was nothing on Earth

more precious to the girl

than her mother.

On day, her mother grew sick.

Days passed;

her sickness became worse.

The little girl watched

her mother being bundled up.

Strangers rushed around

her and ushered her off

to the hospital.

She only saw her mother.

The woman lay in her hospital bed,

covers pulled up to her chin.

The little girl watched her mother,

waited for her to wake up.

But she never did.

 

The little girl

had a mother.

She was the sun,

true warmth and beauty

in her young eyes.

Her mother had

a golden mane of sunshine

and sparkling sky blue eyes.

She was life.

Before her lay a woman

--a stranger--

as cold as death.

Her hair lay limp and dark.

Her eyes were dull and doll-like.

This woman,

a shell of her mother,

was the moon,

frozen and distant in space.

All the strangers were swathed

in black, her mother the exception.

She reposed in a deathbed

hugged close by piles of white.

The color brought warmth to her cheeks.

Still, the little girl

did not see her mother.

 

The little girl

had a mother.

As she sewed,

she saw her.

As she baked,

she saw her.

As she walked the beach,

she saw her.

Her mother lived in her memories,

a blazing sun that never left.

When the girl looked for her,

she was never there.

Her little heart filled

with loneliness.

Her heaving sobs echoed

over the beachscape.

Her world crumbled

as she collapsed into

a hard shell.

Mother had been everything:

friend, teacher, and…mother.

Mother.

For the longest time,

the little girl cried.

She did not know

for how long.

She cried until the sun sank

into the sea

and cast warm rays

upon her young face.

The little girl felt

the sun’s warmth kiss her face

and dry her bitter tears.

She looked up at the sun.

She gazed upon the fiery sky,

whereupon were cast colors of

yellow, orange, pink, and red.

The little girl forgot

her sadness and instead

was consumed by the awesome

beauty of a sunset.

For the first time

in a long time she smiled.

The little girl

had a mother.

Author's Note

A tale of loss I hope that you can relate to.
I haven't lost my own mother, but this how I imagine I would feel if I did.