White T-shirt, holding her
Looking out into the future

Black and white photos tell a story of love
Of trust, of life, and always of strength
You were strong, strong enough to take on the world
And kind enough to feel its hurt
You looked into me, and saw all the things I didn’t know
You taught me that love can be feared
That compassion can be hard as iron nails
Wrote a sonnet to a friend
And spoke the good I couldn’t see
You taught independence by who you were
By who you let others be
And you seemed untouchable
Invictus to the bone
I would to God you had seen the God you mirrored, all unconscious
That independence doesn’t come apart from Him
That no man is his own
As if a leaf could thank itself for the path that leads it to the ground
I pray you found Him before the last

That hound of heaven
And knew your strength to be His gift

And that I’ll see you in heaven
More you because you are His
Your full tenor joining in that song before the ageless throne of God