A Matriarch

If you fall asleep missing the dead
reading a book your mother gave you
when you wake up
the dead will be with you
she never really left
but
lets
be
honest
it's her soft porcelain skin
you miss
her audible breath
the kind words she said
sometimes she was nasty
she was a human being
imperfect and rare
a respectable specimen
she hugged like her life
depended on it
so here
is
what you
do
NOW
you say kind words
and you hug
like your life
depends on it
and we'll keep her
spirit alive that way