One Day (Letter or a Poem)

One day, I should have known
I'd have to learn how to live without you
That one day, I'd walk into a room and imagine you there, even if I know you never will be again
I should have known I'd be calling out your name and realize that no one would respond
Almost as if you didn't exist
Yet there are picture, scents and things you've left behind
Things that couldn't be carried into the after life...
You lived long and without regret
Every place you stepped foot in, you owned
I knew from our initial encounter that forever, would you be remembered

But I should have known that even if it seems like it could...
That nothing lasts forever

Your house is gone now
They tore it down
What's left is an empty lot
Even your garden died
The line where you hung your clothes to dry still stands though
When I've passed by, every now and again, if I stare long enough I can remember summers of you out there
Picking vegetables, turning over the ground...
Your pale green eyes, your cool gray curls...
I remember you well
I called you by one name but you know who you really were

One day, I should have known
I would stop baking in your kitchen
Smelling the fragrance of freshly baked pastries
Learning how to cook true soul food
Hearing the buzzing of the fan, when you felt the need to turn off the air

One day, I should have known
That I wouldn't be able to stand the taste of toffee
Or overhear a game show playing on the television
I can still hear the the sound of your hard wood floors as you walked them
I remember when you made me fall in love with pecans glazed with cinnamon and sugar
I could never stand the newspaper or how it felt on my fingers
Or the ink stains that it always left behind
But I loved that you read it

One day, I should have known
That saying goodbye, never crossed my mind
When it happened
I turned cold, in disbelief
I'd just seen you
I refused to visit the hospital
I knew you'd come to
No autopsy done, they blamed old age
We, all knew the truth but I should've known only blood relatives could make the rules
Before I knew it
You were gone
So was Spunk
And so was He...

I saw your house decay
In my mind
As I heard stories of greedy family members ripping apart your valuables
I remembered things WE were promised
And how we never got to see those them

One day, I should have known
That things would change
The way things have transformed are surreal
Tears become laughter as I remember what was...
I just wish my heart was better prepared
My life was more my own, before you left...

I hope that you know, that you will never be forgotten and are missed. We loved you.

Just a poem for those that have gone...