Oh If I Had Seen Her Go

By Monique Charlton
(Muskoka Seniors Magazine, October 2017)

Oh, if I had seen her go,
Kick up her heels upon leaving
Her old, worn and cracked vessel
Behind
And reach upwards
Towards light
And peace
And comfort
With her heart
Leading the way!

Oh, if I had seen her go,
Laugh an unrestrained,
Joyous
Laugh like wind tickling wind chimes,
Like wind in pine trees when
They knock together
And squeak,
Like whitecaps on water
And waves reaching up over
Rocks on shore,
Caressing.

Oh, if I had seen her go,
Take one last swim
The weightlessness of water
And sunshine
Leaving her as buoyant
And as beautiful
As a mermaid!
Take one last glide on skates
The cut and pick
Of blades on ice,
The freedom and the ecstasy
Of muscle and discipline,
Control and rapture!

Oh, if I had seen her go
She would surely first
Check on us all –
On each and every one of us
On her way by…
We wouldn’t know
Or see
But,
you know
I think I felt her here,
Just then.

Oh, if I had seen her go,
I would surely have seen Dad
And Solomon,
Aunties and Uncles,
Grandparents,
And Greats –
All the way back
Welcoming, embracing,
Merging into one light
Brighter even now
Watching over
Bringing comfort – if we seek it
Providing sanctuary – if we pause… She’s not gone