a goodbye under blue skies

Photo taken 8/10/16 by Arcadia Maria.  All rights reserved.

“a goodbye under blue skies”

I don’t remember how the clouds looked that day.  What I do remember is standing beneath blue skies with the June sun on my skin.  My young mind trying hard to grasp the heaviness of the occasion.  Grand-mom wept into her handkerchief as grand-pop held her.  Mom had her arms wrapped around dad with a solemn face.  So many relatives were gathered around the open grave, where you will lay until the end of time.  The preacher said his solemn words of comfort and we all left flowers for you as a token of our love.  We then departed that place, to get back to piecing our lives back together.  But for me, it would be some time before I fully understood what happened.  I had never lost an uncle before so it was all new to me.  After all these years I have not forgotten you.  For every Spring, I visit your grave along with grand-mom and grand-pop, under blue skies.  I still cannot believe it’s been twenty nine years since you been gone.

white clouds and blue skies

try to wipe away our tears

with help from the sun

- Written for dVerse Halibun Monday: The Sky is the Limit.  We were tasked to write a halibun poem about the day sky.  I'm not sure what came over me when I read this prompt, but I decided to revisit a memory I had of my uncle's funeral.  I was only eight years old when he died in a car accident, but I have fond memories of him from when I was very little.  This is for you, uncle Evan.