Her thinning hair has turned gray and the lines in her face count the minutes
Separating her from joining her departed family and leaving me for now
The voice she struggles to use had once been strong and vibrant
It could bellow out our respective names as loud as any dinner bell
And yet still comfort our little boo boos and calm our greatest fears
As no other voice ever again could or would
Her hand shakes with Parkinson’s as she reaches to pull me close and kiss my head
With her dry lips pressed thin and her eyes glassy
From the debilitating medication of growing old
She calls me her Teddy boy as I bow to her maternal needs
She has always loved to kiss the top of my head for some reason
And with each kiss there is always that affectionate little laugh she applies
She knows I don’t like it but
I have never resisted because I knew nothing lasts forever
I feel her need to be loved unconditionally by me as she becomes the child
I once was and will be again when my time has come
I kiss her cheek and let go of her frail hand
Promising to call more often as I leave her sitting there in her favorite chair
I promise to never forget her for all she has meant to me and our family
I promise a lot of things for I am saddened by the ticking of the clock
And the shortness of the approaching hour
She knows in her heart it is time to leave
Ted Sheridan
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/speechless-promises-delivered-and-wept/
