A tribute to my sister

As I am dealing with some big life changes, my emotions are also closer to the surface as they have been every October since 2009. That was the year I lost my sister. I'm thinking of her a lot lately. I know she would be here for me right now, to support me and lend a helping hand when my life becomes overwhelming. I wrote this poem for my Mum in the winter of 2010. I hope she doesn't mind me posting it here.

I love you Cynthia

The Key

I stand before a garden gate

Set in a wall of gold and pearl.

Priceless treasures within await-

Their fragrance fills the air.

I bask in the glow of golden blooms,

The sunshine streaming down.

I breathe in the flowers’ sweet perfume,

Drink in an eternal dawn.

Yet this beauty pales beside the lure

Of my loved ones living inside-

Their spirits golden, light and pure,

Their faces joyous and bright.

I’ve longed for them since they left

To dwell in this glorious garden.

Yet I know these walls are a refuge, a cleft,

Untouched by pain and death.

With a heavy heart, a tear on my face,

I turn away from those gilded walls.

Yet I know I’ll return to this place

One day when I hear His call.

And in my hand I’ll hold the key

That will open up the door.

They will be there to welcome me

To this ever-blooming garden.

And in His gentle face I’ll see

Love and an end to strife

For He is the giver of the key

That opens the garden of life.