I never got to say “goodbye.”
You did
in the 1,917 word note you left
where you shared  memories
full of joy; full of sadness.
Where you shared words of tenderness;
words of love.
Where you assured me it was not my fault;
that there was nothing I could have done.
Then, as you used to say,
you were off to see the wizard.
 
I never got to say “goodbye”
although I’ve talked to you many times since
while visiting where you now rest.
So, many one-sided conversations
over more years
than I really want to think about.
Years that have not diminished a bit
of all those old feelings that will never go away.
Death has no power over love.
 
Michael Mathews
July 28, 2021
Wednesday night 9:33 PM
In my RV alongside of the lake
near where I hear rumors of home. 
We are a few weeks away from 34 years
since she went off to see the wizard.
In just a couple of weeks, it will have been
34 years; she would have been 68 now.