DEATH Poem: Return to the Source, by Anna Classon

There are some things that a person never forgets

Like their first funeral
A 19 year old girl
Who lost her battle to opioids
I was 14, but her little brother was 9
I remember his little face
So confused and upset
The sound of my aunt
Grieving her only daughter
The look on my moms face
When her name comes up
Watching my family pretend to be ok
8 years later

Or the look of defeat
When my grandma knew the cancer had won
The feeling of hugging her for the last time
Skin and bones
My dads voice when he said her fight had ended
Watching a family
That just lost its foundation
Struggle to recover
The sight of my grandpa
Placing flowers on her grave
Saying it was supposed to be him

Watching the life slowly leave
My childhood pets’ body
The energetic rescue now unrecognizable
So sad, so tired
Riddled with cancer
My sister held his paw until it was over

They were the hardest goodbyes
But one day they’ll be the best hellos