Dear Janel

by Lynne Zotalis

Greatest Grandma Ever, Most Amazing Mom, Devoted Daughter, Steadfast Sister, Faithful Friend, Committed Caregiver, and my incredible cousin

What happens when we lose someone? What are we supposed to do? How do we live with that void in our lives? When does it become true?

through each and every spirit woven together with hers

our love will feel them [all] still in hearts

that cannot deal

with absence so unreal

Their presence so profound, enduring energy flows,

life is not just gone, but it is beyond

anything we know

 

I dare to ask and question why

someone so marvelous, wonderful, spectacular,

selfless is taken in her prime,

before her time,

the answer cannot justify the pain

left in those bereft  

we who will ever admire and adore such beauty of soul,

whose laughter rang with happiness and joy,

whose encouragement and support were always at the ready

for everyone except herself

forever amid gatherings of family so precious and integral to her existence

a legacy and example for those of us here

a gift to behold for all who were privileged to have known

our own, our cherished, our dear Janel

* * * * *

As a freelance contributor and member in the Iowa Poetry Association, Lynne Zotalis’s poetry has been published in Lyrical Iowa for ten years running. She is a member of the Peace and Social Justice Writers Group at the Loft in Minneapolis, MN, with contributions to their chapbook and Turning Points: Discovering Meaning and Passion in Turbulent Times. Her poetry has appeared in Tuck Magazine and Poetic Bond VII, and Lynne was one of six winners of the RH Cunningham short story contest published in the book Life Dances. All available on Amazon.