We dug a hole to place a maple tree.
We placed Richard’s ashes at the bottom.
A memory tree to provide comfort and shade
especially on hot summer days.
It was also a witness tree
as it observed us growing beyond
the loss of our brother and son
and took in our lives as nourishment.
One at a time we abandoned the maple
moving on to new locations.
And the people who purchased the house
from mother after father died,
expanded the house outward and upward.
They cut down the Richard-maple.
By that time, we were not afraid to express
that he lived on in our hearts.
copyright © 2021 Kenneth P. Gurney
Umflop 