NEVER ENOUGH

I can see you in your historic classroom

Challenging young minds to look outside themselves.

Asking questions never previously pondered-

Looking with a not yet closed off mind and a hearing heart.

There you are- missing your own personal mounds of malleable minds,

They laugh and lounge with friends and family-

You- left behind- because your semester

Does not coincide with their springtime beach break.

With wine in hand and Bianca on leash-

Or- maybe not (she knows the coloring lines of the cul-de-sac),

You are welcoming the April winds and the Virginia sun-

Alone- definitely not the same as fancy Florida though.

And me- sitting inside the house, yet hearing the wild wind

Outside, as I warm myself by a simple space heater,

I recognize that missing is simply the strength of love and longing-

And the strength of my love for you forever flourishes.

I think back to my own mother, 

Understanding the depth like never before

of her own missing, when phones were not always available

And letters, like leftover peanut butter ice cream, were never enough.

What a joy to say it is never enough!

That is truly the gift!